Undie Run was not supposed to have happened during fall quarter 2009. The university squashed the tradition over the summer, after discreetly announcing its cancellation at a time when few students were around campus and able to oppose.
But come finals week in the fall, a couple hundred UCLA students were ready to run in their underwear. They showed up, they ran, and in their minds, they were likely victorious in ignoring the administration’s concerns.
But this editorial board does not believe it is so clear who the victor truly was in the battle between UCLA administration and students over Undie Run’s demise.
Matthew Austin created Underground Undie Run, a group on Facebook meant to organize the event despite university concerns. And Undie Run still happened at its normal hour, on its normal day.
Students were told it was canceled, and in response, Austin organized text messages among the more than 3,000 members of his Facebook group, notifying students of the finalized location and route right before it happened.
Students were told there would be ample police who would ticket or arrest for offenses.
In response, students simply worked around the rules, most even taking care to wait at crosswalks and avoid jaywalking.
But it is likely the administration also thinks it was victorious.
The university’s goal was to alleviate damages, stop students from injuring themselves or others, and to eradicate the number of non-Bruins attending.
Quite frankly, they were successful also.
Only 200-300 students showed up to the run. It was disorganized, and the exact route was unclear. The event was downright puny in comparison to the previous 8,000 to 10,000 runners who have filled Strathmore tunnel in past years.
Dozens of police lined Strathmore and Gayley avenues to dissuade the joggers on the frigid December night, and it seemed to work. The run began around 11:45 p.m. and died down around 12:40 a.m., much earlier than quarters past.
Though some students were taken into custody by police, there was no violence.
Undergraduate Students Association Council General Representative Addison Huddy called the event “peaceful.” Huddy hopes to take the success of the peaceful run and capitalize on it for spring quarter.
USAC has mentioned its plans in meetings to make the event more structured, including turning it into a fundraiser and switching the run to the Intramural Field to make it more safe.
But this editorial board is waiting to hear more concretely how USAC will do so.
Now is the time to make solid plans about how Undie Run will be saved, or it seems unlikely that a compromise will be reached. How, for instance, can students be stopped from drinking before the tradition? What is the best way to keep outsiders off campus?
We encourage USAC to discuss this at its next meeting.