From:http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/fun/x805327507#
"Tufts Naked Run brings students together -- with a few injuries
Tue Dec 11, 2007, 01:11 PM EST
Somerville - Scores of students screamed and streaked through the campus in the freezing cold after 10 p.m. on Dec. 10, in celebration of a long-cherished annual tradition at Tufts — the Naked Quad Run.
A few injuries were reported after the run, the most serious of which was a student falling from a building on Professor’s Row.
Minutes before the event, it was not hard to find. Groups of drunk, semi-nude students, sporting thongs or large winter coats and boots, tottered up Professor’s Row from College Avenue and surrounding streets, many slipping and sliding on the frozen sidewalks.
Tufts junior Samantha Schnier was one of them, clutching her quilted coat and wondering if her butt showed as she trekked up to the quad. Asked why she was participating, she said “It’s one of the few events where the Tufts community comes together and it encourages student cohesiveness — it really does.”
Freshman Sydney Thiam wasn’t sure if he was actually going to run naked, but he was on his way there “’cause we get to see naked people.”
And there were many to see — of all shapes and sizes, both males and females, sporting all kinds of props or costumes.
One of Tufts’ more notorious traditions, the Naked Quad Run usually takes place on a cold winter night, usually on alcohol. Students run from the back door of West Hall, around the Residential Quad, and return to West.
Most students run naked, but some wear costumes such as capes or shrink-wrap.
This year many sported flags from their home countries, weird hats, large hoops, body paint, drums and even a giant condom.
On Monday night, Tufts Police kept the watchers back with barriers and lent a hand to those who slipped or fell on the ice.
An exchange student from Spain, senior Maria Puertas cheered and laughed as her friends ran by. She said she’s never seen anything like it back home. “I think it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” she said. “I wish I was there, too, but I can’t because I’m too shy.”
Many watchers decided to join midway, discarding their clothes on the sidelines and leaping in to join the half-hour run.
The event ended with a doughnuts and hot chocolate reception and music provided by DJ GrooveBoston.
“The event is well known as the Naked Quad Run, but in reality, an equal number of students come out to enjoy the music, hot chocolate and doughnuts as a final social interaction before Winter Break and a study break as we prepare for final exams,” wrote Alexandra Pryor, press secretary of the Tufts Community Union Senate, in an email to the Journal.
The run began in 1975, when male students streaked across campus in protest against plans to make Tufts housing coed. Females began running in 1987, when West Hall became the last dorm to be made coed.
“The event has been going on for about 30 years,” said Kim Thurler, director of public relations at Tufts University. “The event is organized and planned by students but Tufts public safety personnel are on hand to help ensure safety.”
In previous years, the run has caused the university much consternation, with one dean threatening to cancel it altogether, given the health and safety hazards it posed after several student injuries and cases of alcohol abuse. But students support the event as one that brings the student body together and that the university should not prohibit or try to alter the nature of the Naked Quad Run.
The 2007 run marks the fifth anniversary of the annual Nighttime Quad Reception explained Pryor. “The distinction is that up until five years ago, the event, while a tradition of Tufts, was an unofficial one, planned entirely by students. Five years ago, the Senate and Programming Board acknowledged that the Naked Quad Run was going to occur whether or not the University endorsed it. Instead of ignoring it, we staffed the event with student volunteers and safety officials. This way, the University is able to ensure the safety of the students who decide to go running during the course of the Programming.”
Because the student body picks a random date and does not announce the event in advance, many Somerville officials said they had no idea it happened that night.
Ward 7 Alderman Bob Trane has heard of it, but hasn’t actually seen one. “It’s not an event I attend,” he said. “I’m afraid it might send the wrong example of what is or isn’t tolerated in the neighborhood. It’s not exactly the smartest thing in the world — drinking and running around naked in the cold.”
Not surprisingly, there are usually some casualties.
This year, Somerville firefighters responded to four calls after the event. Between midnight and 1 a.m., they treated one student who fell off a building on Professor’s Row, two 19-year-olds suffering from alcohol poisoning and one false alarm pull.
Four incidents was “probably not bad for a Naked Run night,” Fire Chief Kevin Kelleher said.
“This year, the event ran particularly smoothly,” Pryor added. “Other than a few cuts and scrapes, there were no injuries during the course of the run.”
If anyone knows about any other of these traditions I would sure like to know.
