Hundreds brave the cold to participate in student-led finals week tradition of Undie Run
Students use Undie Run as a way to de-stress and lighten the mood during finals week. Around 2,000 people were signed up to participate, according to the Facebook group.
By Ryan Miller
Dec. 9, 2010 2:42 p.m.
Cold December nights don’t always call for jackets or scarves.
Many UCLA students braved the weather last night for Undie Run, a student-led tradition that takes place every finals week.
“I was not going to let the cold stop me from doing Undie Run,” said Masumi Asahi, a third-year integrative biology and physiology student. “I still have one more final to go this upcoming Friday, and I needed to blow off some stress.”
About 600 to 800 students trekked around UCLA’s campus late Wednesday night in their underwear as part of a campus-wide finals week tradition, said Matthew Austin, the event organizer and a fourth-year communication studies student.
“We really had a great turnout this quarter,” Austin said. “Many of the students were really into it and, overall, I think it’s one of the best runs we’ve had since the event became unofficial.”
Students began the run at the corner of Strathmore and Gayley avenues. They ran from there to the Inverted Fountain, passed by Royce Hall to Janss Steps and came back up Bruin Walk toward De Neve Plaza, Asahi said.
Although unruliness in past Undie Runs has led to police intervention, UCPD Sergeant Karen Gentilucci said no arrests were made at the event, nor were any medical emergencies reported.
“We only gave out between 15 and 20 citations for pedestrian crosswalk violations,” Gentilucci said.
Austin said he believes people were more careful this time around.
“I think the police were very cooperative, and I’m glad to see that the run is headed in a more positive direction,” he said.
Undie Run was started back in spring 2002 by a small group of students as an alternative to the Midnight Yell. Within a few years, it had grown to as many as 7,000 participants, according to Daily Bruin archives.
The student-led run faced criticism from school officials and neighborhood residents who complained about the prevalence of underage drinking, failure to comply with pedestrian traffic regulations and property damage. After spring 2009, the university canceled the Undie Run.
The following fall, Austin began to organize an “underground” Undie Run. By using Facebook, Austin reached out to the majority of the UCLA student body in the hope of reviving the tradition. Since then, the event has seen a steady increase in the number of runners each quarter.
Some students, such as Asahi, said they are optimistic that the Undie Run tradition is here to stay.
“Even though Undie Run has faced a lot of criticism over the past couple years, I think that it is a good tradition for the school to have,” Asahi said. “The turnout tonight really proves that students want to keep it alive.”
