College Underwear Run History: Traditions, Protests, and Stress Relief
College campuses are known for their unique traditions, some sanctioned by the university and others born from student initiative. Among the more unconventional of these customs are the "Undie Runs," events where students gather and run, often through campus, wearing only their underwear. These runs, while seemingly frivolous, often have deeper roots in student protest, stress relief, and community building. This article explores the history of college underwear runs, examining their origins, evolution, and significance in campus culture.
The UCLA Undie Run: A Protest Turned Tradition
The UCLA Undie Run is a quarterly student tradition where students wear underwear and run from the tunnel on Charles E. Young Drive South and Gayley Avenue to Dickinson Court on the UCLA campus, where Royce Hall and Powell Library are located. Taking place on the Wednesday of finals week at midnight, this popular student event is unaffiliated with the university. The UCLA Undie Run emerged from a specific act of student protest. Before its inception, UCLA students had a tradition called the midnight yell; at midnight every night of the week (starting Sunday of finals week), students screamed from all over campus - the dorms, apartments, libraries and more - to let out their stress from studying. The yell can last minutes and was an exciting, liberating tradition. In 2002, the midnight yell was banned due to disruption and safety concerns. Frustrated by this decision, UCLA theater student Eric Whitehead protested by parading around Westwood in his underwear with 13 other students, singing a song about the travesty of the midnight yell. This event marked the first UCLA Undie Run.
Despite being banned in 2009 over safety concerns, the UCLA Undie Run continues to be a celebrated tradition. Second-year civil engineering student Chris Yeosock participates in the Undie Run primarily because it brings him a sense of community and allows him to meet new people. He said, “Honestly, I’m just a big sucker for school traditions in general. … So whether that’s sports games or going running around in my underwear, it always makes me feel good." Second-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student Roan Sutton finds the Undie Run to be a great way to reduce the tension and stress of finals week. He said, “I think it’s just a great way to kind of blow off steam after exams and everything. It’s just fun and not serious, and you can just take your mind off of things." Second-year civil engineering student Aaron Ng feels that it is critical to the UCLA experience. He said, “I feel like that (my first Undie Run experience) was just one (of the) end of the quarter experiences that, I would have to say, … every UCLA student has to go through. I feel like it’s one of those wacky campus traditions that somehow has become so loved and ingrained in our lives.”
The university cornerstone regularly attracts 8,000 to 10,000 students and has caught the attention of the community, the media and other universities. Robert Naples, associate vice chancellor and dean of students, stated that “The costs of property damages and having police out there three times a year creates a financial drain on the university." Tim Mullins, the recently elected USAC facilities commissioner, said, “The beginning of the meeting painted a bleak outlook for the event. Overall, the administration was open to the ideas and has really left it to the responsibility of USAC to come up with a solution to meet student and administrative concerns. With that charge, the next USAC meeting will see Undie Run under a full spotlight in an effort to make this a priority issue for the entire council."
Panty Raids: A Precursor to Undie Runs?
While not exactly the same as Undie Runs, "panty raids" were a fad on college campuses in the 1950s that share some thematic similarities. Male college students would descend upon women's residence halls or sorority houses, chanting, "We want panties!" Those who succeeded had a trophy to display and a good story to tell. On rare occasions, panties were tossed to the crowd with a first name and telephone number scribbled inside them. Not surprisingly, university administrators took a dim view of this campus activity. A 1956 UC-Berkeley raid caused several thousand dollars in damaged doors and windows, as hundreds of men forced their way into a row of sorority homes and snatched undergarments from dresser drawers. One angry housemother defended her charges with the blunt end of an umbrella handle, and shouted at one offender, "You! I know your mother!" At Rutgers, panty raids were pronounced "childish" by the college deans and quickly outlawed.
Read also: Comprehensive Ranking: Women's College Basketball
Panty raids made their Austin debut in May 1952 and continued sporadically for about five years. Officially, the University administration banned the activity, threatened participants with disciplinary probation or worse, and at times even collected Blanket Tax cards on the spot. The cards, which proved a student had paid their campus fees, was required to gain entrance to UT sporting events, especially football games. After 1957, panty raids took a hiatus from the campus, much to the relief of the administration.
It was a warm Thursday evening on Nov. 2, 1961, when a fire started in a trash bin near the men's dorms on the southeast side of the campus. Once outside and away from the books, the group resolved not to return right away, but to pay a friendly visit to the women's dorms. Setting off around the back end of Gregory Gym, the crowd swelled with residents of the temporary San Jacinto dorms. By the time the group arrived in front of Kinsolving, more than 3,000 men were chanting, "We want girls!" The residents of Kinsolving smiled, giggled, and waved, but only one pair of panties was tossed from a third-story window. The crowd changed tactics, and instead of the direct approach, began to serenade the ladies with the Eyes of Texas. A single pair of undergarments appeared, quickly followed by "an airdrop of flimsies which rallied the troops." The men below chanted "More! More! By now, the entire University Police force-all seven of them-along with 12 additional officers of the Austin Police had arrived to break-up the proceedings. The police charged; the longhorns stampeded. North to the Scottish Rite Dorm, where girls were instructed to lower their window shades, and sprinklers were turned on to flood the lawn. West to the sorority houses and some limited success, and then back to the campus. Arno Nowotny, the Dean of Student Life, arrived on the scene, collected Blanket Tax cards by the handful, and set up appointments for their owners to retrieve them the following morning. Another raid, though not quite as large, occurred the following year. On Thurs., Oct.11, following the OU football rally, a group of 1,000 men descended on the women's dorms. Dean Nowotny and the police were ready, but so were the students. Not wanting to miss the OU football game, most had conveniently left their Blanket Tax cards at home.
The Great Underwear Dash at the University of Florida
Another example of a college underwear run is The Great Underwear Dash at the University of Florida. On a muggy Florida night, a handful of students gather in Turlington Plaza, the air abuzz with excitement. Within minutes, dozens more arrive, then hundreds. Cheers of “Go Gators!” ring out as he shouts instructions to the crowd. At his command, the students strip to their skivvies, drop their discarded clothes in a pile and sprint toward University Avenue. This spectacle was The Great Underwear Dash, and if you attended the University of Florida between 2005 and 2017, you probably remember the cheeky tradition. “When you’re jogging past Century Tower in nothing but your Nikes and boxers, it’s just simple, pure fun,” dasher Anthony Davila (BS ’09) recalls. Even those who balked at dropping their drawers remember the Dash fondly. Stephanie Jones (BS ’13) recalls watching with curiosity and admiration from the sidelines. “For me. it was appealing because it was a UF tradition that supported a great cause,” she says.
The origins of The Great Underwear Dash can be traced to an earlier student rite, now largely forgotten: the UF Pajama Parades. These began prior to World War II as a hazing ritual in which freshmen were roused from their beds by the cheerleading squad for an impromptu march down University Avenue. Over the years, the parade became an official freshmen orientation event, with the PJ-clad pep rally heralding the start of the football season. The parades ended in the 1960s, but the urge to disrobe reignited a few years later when streaking took over colleges around the nation, including UF. The 1970s saw mobs of students stripping naked and running through campus as an act of rebellion.
The Great Underwear Dash itself was launched in 2005 - not by a crazed fan but by an adventurous UF art student. Beau Bergeron started The Great Underwear Dash in 2005 while studying graphic design at UF. “The idea of all my friends running around in their underwear was this great, crazy idea,” Bergeron told the Independent Florida Alligator in 2006. About 75 students attended the inaugural sprint in April 2005, dropping their clothes on Turlington Plaza to retrieve later and charting a course north from the Hub to University Avenue, then east to 13th Street and back. The following semester, more than 500 participants showed up. Bergeron’s doodle of an underwear-clad runner became the icon for The Great Underwear Dash. “The fact that it was so organic and grassroots - I think that made it so appealing,” Bergeron says. “You had to know somebody that knew somebody that was going to it. [Who] could give you the peace of mind that this was going to be fun, it’s not weird, it’s not crazy.
Read also: Phoenix Suns' New Center
In 2006, junior Vida Tavakoli (BA ’09) decided the discarded clothes should be collected and donated to shelters in North Central Florida. More than 600 students joined the fourth dash and filled 19 bags with clothing. With its growing popularity, the Dash soon attracted the scrutiny of university officials. Although UF Police were present at the first dashes, they just stood by to ensure everyone was safe. According to news reports, UF officials cautioned that participating students could face indecent-exposure penalties but provided little guidance on what those standards were or how to avoid violating them, short of not running. The Gainesville Police Department, which patrolled the run once it crossed University Avenue, was less concerned with indecency. As long as they didn’t interfere with traffic, dashers could “run their little hearts out,” Sgt.
After two years of looking the other way, UF officials cracked down on the Dash in 2007, stating that since organizers had failed to obtain prior authorization from the Student Activities Office, the event was canceled. The police orders came hours before the fifth run was set to commence and were ignored by a crowd of nearly-naked students, who dashed off campus at midnight and onto the neutral territory of University Avenue. Not to be thwarted, Bergeron devised a makeup run, dubbed The Great Underwear Dash 5.5, held a few nights later. Dashers adjusted their route to skirt campus and keep safely outside of UFPD jurisdiction, making sure to pause for a group photo in front of the UF Administration building before dispersing.
Despite occasional run-ins with UF officials and shirking the permit process for years, The Great Underwear Dash persisted under Bergeron’s leadership and soon returned to the original on-campus route. “I really never wanted this to be a permitted, documented, official or semi-unofficial thing, period,” Bergeron recalls. “The outside-of-the rules quality of it made it what it was. Electrical engineering student and longtime participant Jorge Gomez (BSEE ’09, MS ’11) took over as Dash organizer after Bergeron graduated in 2008. By then, UF had given its blessing to the event, with one caveat: no nudity. Organizers enforced the rule and hammered home the message on social media. “I really wanted it to be very inclusive and body positive,” Bergeron remembers. “It’s exhilarating, and it’s not aggressive at all,” Gomez told the Alligator in 2008.
The Great Underwear Dash received recognition as an official UF tradition in the 2009-10 F Book, UF’s guide for incoming undergraduates. Even as the Dash basked in its official status - on par with Gator Growl and painting the 34th Street Wall - student enthusiasm for the midnight runs started to wane in 2013. Reasons for its decline are unclear. Perhaps being an official event made the Dash less appealing to rebellious students. Or perhaps the student body as a whole had grown too studious for midnight underwear capers. Maybe the analog nature of the Dash no longer appealed to a generation that increasingly socialized online. Whatever the reason, the event continued sporadically for four more years, despite dwindling numbers and receiving little press attention. At that final event, Diaz affirmed why the Dash still held appeal for some. “It brings people together,” he told the Alligator.
Over its 12-year run, The Great Underwear Dash attracted more than 4,000 participants and collected over 250 bags of clothing for local charities. Among the organizations that benefited from students’ giving were the Salvation Army, Goodwill, and St. Five years after the last recorded Dash, it’s unlikely that any participants remain on campus. However, the tradition lives on in the memories of those who experienced the run in its heyday.
Read also: About Grossmont Community College
The UC Berkeley Naked Run: Stress Relief Through Streaking
Cheers interrupt the steady silence of the library before most of the students can see what’s happening. They lift their tired eyes from their study guides and watch as a group of their peers erupts from the stacks - most of them completely naked. During dead week, Main Stacks in Doe and Moffitt libraries is full of students running out of time, running out of motivation, and, on one day, running naked through the aisles. The UC Berkeley Naked Run occurs each semester during the week leading up to final exams, during which a mass of students bare some - or in most cases all - and take a few laps through the stacks, much to the amusement or horror of the students studying. The run, which lasts about 20 minutes, culminates in a crowd gathering in the center of the library and cheering. Most spectators watch with bemused looks as the naked students stream past while shouting and blowing horns. While many complain about the temporary disruption, most are ultimately put off by the smell that lingers after the runners leave. It’s not uncommon for the runners in the back to carry air fresheners.
UC Berkeley has a longstanding tradition of nude activism, stemming in large part from a push for sexual liberation on campus that occurred around the same time as the Free Speech Movement. Since the 1960s, students have used nudity to make statements on a variety of issues, ranging from rape culture to the clearing of trees near campus. “Berkeley is already open-minded, but it’s that times 1,000 at the Naked Run,” said junior Kat Furman. Furman has participated in the run each semester since she got to UC Berkeley, except for one, when she didn’t get the memo about when the run would take place. She said she understands that participating seems daunting but that it is an experience everyone should have at least once during their time on campus. For some, the traditional run through the libraries pays homage to a time when nudity was a prevalent form of protest, but for many, it is simply a way to alleviate some of the stress of the impending finals.
The practice of streaking to relieve finals stress has been traced back to Lothlorien House, a UC Berkeley co-op. Each semester, members of the Berkeley Student Cooperative system coordinate the run, which is typically held at night toward the end of dead week.
Common Threads and Divergences
These examples highlight several common threads in the history of college underwear runs:
- Stress Relief: A primary motivation for many participants is to alleviate the stress and pressure associated with final exams. The runs offer a brief escape from academic pressures and a chance to blow off steam.
- Community Building: The runs can foster a sense of community and camaraderie among students. Participating in a shared, slightly rebellious activity can create bonds and memories.
- Protest and Tradition: Some runs, like the UCLA Undie Run, originate as acts of protest against university policies or restrictions. Over time, these protests can evolve into established traditions.
- Philanthropy: As seen with The Great Underwear Dash, these events can be used to support charitable causes. Collecting and donating the discarded clothing adds a positive dimension to the activity.
- University Response: University administrations often have mixed reactions to underwear runs. While some may tolerate or even embrace them, others express concerns about safety, liability, and public image. This can lead to attempts to regulate, restrict, or even ban the runs.
However, there are also divergences:
- Level of Nudity: Some runs, like the UC Berkeley Naked Run, involve full or near-full nudity, while others, like the UCLA Undie Run and the later iterations of The Great Underwear Dash, require participants to wear underwear.
- Purpose: While stress relief is a common factor, some runs have a stronger emphasis on protest or activism, while others are primarily seen as a fun and lighthearted tradition.
- Official vs. Unofficial Status: Some runs are officially recognized or sanctioned by the university, while others operate independently and may even be in direct defiance of university policies.
tags: #college #underwear #run #history
