As finals week fast approaches, so does the much-anticipated Undie Run.
But administrators have voiced concerns regarding the costs and disruption recent runs have caused on campus, said Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student and Campus Life and Dean of Students Robert Naples.
During Undie Run, which falls on the Wednesday of finals week each quarter, thousands of students gather at midnight and run through campus in their underwear, beginning at the top of Gayley and Landfair avenues and proceeding to De Neve Plaza and up Bruin Walk, ending in Royce Quad. In recent quarters, Undie Run has grown to attract nearly 5,000 people.
As a result of the increased number of runners, the university has had to pick up the tab for extra police presence and damage to facilities, said Undergraduate Student Association Council President Marwa Kaisey.
“We are concerned the administration may try to shut (the Undie Run) down, and that’s something we do not want to happen,” Kaisey said.
“It’s something students love and look forward to, and we want to make sure it is not shut down,” she said.
A meeting of student leaders is scheduled today to try to find a solution.
But Sonya Slegers, a second-year political science student, said she was more concerned with getting to participate in the tradition than the student leaders were with the disruption, and she hoped the administration would not intervene.
“I think the Undie Run is just a good way to relieve stress during finals week, and I would be really upset if the administration tried to cancel it,” she said. “(The Undie Run) gets bigger and bigger every year and it is at times rowdy, but I don’t think canceling the Undie Run is necessary or would be successful.”
The run’s route used to proceed through Westwood streets, but last year due to the administration’s safety concerns, it was redirected to take place mostly on campus.
But moving Undie Run on campus brought new problems. In last spring’s run, participants caused damage worth $10,500 to Shapiro Fountain near Royce by jumping and playing in the fountain, and De Neve residents complained that runners loitered noisily in the De Neve quad until 2:30 a.m., according to a press release from USAC Facilities Commissioner PC Zai.
“In terms of the On Campus Housing Council perspective, it’s a tough call because although we want to keep and uphold the tradition of campus spirit, there is the major issue of noise. … It disturbs our residents,” said Michelle Lyon, the campus relations commissioner for the OCHC.
And Kaisey said the university has had to shell out thousands of dollars to cover police overtime pay during the event.
Naples said this year there was various damage on campus as well as a need for additional police, and the university cannot continue to cover such costs.
“Because no group is in charge of the event, the administration has been forced to pay for the damages on campus. Right now the university absorbs the costs, which cannot keep occurring,” he said.
He said the administration plans to meet and decide how to prepare for the event, and in the past, the administration has intervened when they considered similar events to be safety hazards.
Several years ago, the administration shut down Midnight Yell, formerly a finals week tradition, after students began throwing burning furniture out of windows.
Lyon said it is important to make sure residents feel safe with crowds of people outside their buildings.
“We advocate for De Neve Plaza to be comfortable for all our residents in that they don’t feel people are loitering outside, causing them to feel unsafe,” she said. “I don’t think we can necessarily monitor or regulate the Undie Run, because it is difficult to distinguish between a resident and a non-resident when they are in their underwear. Everything comes down to on-campus safety.”
In addition to safety and monetary concerns, Gayley Avenue will become an emergency route to the Ronald Reagan Hospital when it is finished, so it will not be able to be blocked off by strategically parked police cars, as it was this year, Zai said.