LOS ANGELES – UCLA said this week it is canceling the finals-week tradition known as "Undie Run," when students blow off steam by jogging through campus in their underwear.
The university cited fights, injuries, vandalism and other safety and security problems as the main reasons it is no longer allowing the event, according to a statement issued Tuesday by UCLA.
Undie Run occurs three times a year on the Wednesday of each quarter’s finals week.
Administrators have threatened to cancel the ritual for years because of an increased number of vandalism incidents and accidents.
Undergraduate Students Association Council members were notified Tuesday night of Undie Run's termination.
“While we regret having to call off the run in the future, we must ensure the safety of our students and the community and also look after UCLA’s relationships with our neighbors,” Robert Naples, the associate vice chancellor and dean of students, said in a prepared statement.
Naples is out of town and unavailable for further comment.
There are severe problems with Undie Run, according to undergraduate student government General Representative Addison Huddy, adding that the event needs to become “more regulated and more official.”
But Huddy said that though he and Facilities Commissioner Tim Mullins and fellow General Representative Jason Tengco were aware that the administration was making a decision regarding the event, they were not aware that it was going to be so “blatant.”
“We’ve been working with them. … We thought we were going to have more time,” Huddy said.
UCLA spokeswoman Elizabeth Kivowitz said no further information is available at this time, and Naples will likely make no further comment until students return to campus in the fall.
In the past, campus officials have said that a high number of non-UCLA community members at the event was also a concern for student safety.
The ritual — which began seven years ago — has attracted up to 10,000 participants, not all of whom have any affiliation to UCLA, administrators say.
Huddy said he’s working with school officials to find “innovative solutions” to try to preserve the tradition and stop its cancellation.
“The bottom line is that many, many UCLA students love this event,” he said. “It’s becoming part of our culture, part of our school spirit."
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