They ebbed and flowed, some sporting bikinis and others in boy shorts. Each time the crosswalk’s little white man was illuminated, a fresh mob of sprinters haphazardly made its way through the Strathmore Drive and Gayley Avenue intersection while chants of “U-C-L-A” and boisterous 8-claps echoed in the midnight air.
“It was fantastic,” said Matt Austin, a third-year communication studies student who donned orange boxers on Wednesday night’s Undie Run. “We had no planned route. We covered all the major landmarks: the Strathmore tunnel, the inverted fountain, Royce Hall, Janss Steps. In my mind it was the best Undie Run yet.”
Last fall, when the university stopped sponsoring the finals week tradition, Austin launched a Facebook group in hopes of organizing an underground jaunt with a few friends.
“I created the group because I thought it was wrong that UCLA could try to destroy this tradition and say we have no right to run,” Austin said, adding that only five or six of his friends joined the group. “I kind of forgot about it, and then I realized thousands of people had joined.”
Via outlets such as Facebook, undie runners have met at the Strathmore and Gayley crosswalk on the Wednesday of each finals week this year, adhering to a tradition estimated to be around eight years old, said Robert Naples, associate vice chancellor and dean of students.
Wednesday’s event involved about 1,300 runners; many were Bruins, while others were allegedly outsiders, according to estimates by Naples and Austin.
Students congregated at the crosswalk starting at about 11:30 p.m., and the run itself lasted from 11:55 p.m. to 12:20 a.m.
According to Naples, the presence of non-students was a main reason behind the university’s decision to stop supporting Undie Run after last spring quarter.
Naples said people from nearby schools or local neighborhoods often migrate to campus for the event and are not as cautious as UCLA students since they feel no responsibility to abide by the university’s code of conduct.
“For three consecutive quarters, we had windows in Powell being broken during the run, and last year a student reported sexual assault after the run,” Naples said, adding that damage to property and vehicles had also been reported. “I know our students are not doing that. … They just want to have a good time.”
Despite the run’s underground nature, university police continue to anticipate Undie Run and respond with reinforcements, said UCPD Lt. Maureen O’Connell.
This school year has seen an average of nine arrests per Undie Run for violations like jaywalking and public intoxication, though in the past more serious offenses like robbery and assault were more common.
“I did see people getting arrested last night,” said Paige Schifferli, a first-year biology student who observed the run. “But it was overall a really positive atmosphere. There were chants (in remembrance of) John Wooden, and everyone was being happy and careful. I don’t think Undie Run should be thought of as a negative thing.”
Naples said safety concerns were another reason for the shutdown of the university-sponsored Undie Run and are the reason that an alternative event has not been approved by administration, though the Undergraduate Students Association Council pitched propositions this year.
“The hope for an official Undie Run in the next five years is bleak,” said former USAC general representative Addison Huddy, who worked with former USAC facilities commissioner Tim Mullins to plan an event that would have included live music, a Red Bull sponsorship and a designated run route beginning and ending at the Intramural field. Students would have been required to show their Bruincard at the field’s entrance in an effort to deflect foreign visitors.
Naples said that while USAC and the administration had a harmonious relationship during the negotiations, the alternative Undie Run was not approved because of roadblocks such as construction on Pauley Pavilion, which would force hordes of students to sprint through dangerously narrow areas.
“USAC did a terrific job, and they worked hard to address safety issues,” Naples said, adding that he is open to the idea of supporting a send-off at the end of the year similar to the fall’s Bruin Bash if students present an innovative and hazard-free plan. “I think there should be a creative look at what can be done. We want something positive to come of all this.”