cak@purdue.UUCP (Christopher A. Kent) (01/22/86)
[First, a bit of background:] This article appeared in the Chicago Trib one Sunday recently: Purdue puts a freeze on icy nude run WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (UPI) - Trying to protect its students and its image, Purdue University is banning its traditional "Nude Olympics," the university's president said. "When you've got 300 people running around stark naked at minus 50 degrees, you run the major risk of frostbite and losing tips of noses, fingers, genitalia, breasts, toes and so on," said the university president, Steven C. Beering. Beering, who was dean of the Indiana University Medical School before becoming Purdue president, said he is bowing to a recommendation from a university committee in bannind the event, which started as a prank by male students in the late 1950s when "streaking" was a fad. Both men, women Since then it has become a wintertime event for both men and women. The students shuck their clothes for an impromptu race around the University's Cary Quad square. The last runner to drop out is declared the winner. "It's certainly not a wholesome thing to have that kind of goings-on," the president said, explaining that it's just not a proper image for a Big Ten university with one of the country's finest engineering programs. The event, which is not scheduled ahead of time, is run late a t night and generally on one of the coldest nights when the wind chill hits 50 below zero. Bit of antifreeze Thousands of people line the perimeter of the square to cheer on the contestents, who usually have been primed with alcohol for antifreeze. Like the nude racing, the alcohol is illegal on campus. Beering, who was among the spectators at last year's race, said he expected to prosecute students taking part this year. The charge likely would be public indecency. He acknowledged that he had not heard of any serious injuries, weather-related or otherwise, from the event. Some student leaders criticize Beering's decision. "It's the one thing a lot of students see as a Purdue tradition - one thing that sets Purdue apart," said Ginger L. Thompson, managing editor of the Purdue Exponent. "It kind of belongs to the students." [But ... wait!] (From the Purdue Exponent, 1/22/86) University ban fails to stop Nude Olympics At 11:56 p.m. Tuesday night approximately 60 nude runners, both male and female, defied the recent University ban and began the 1986 Nude Olympics in Spitzer Court in Cary Quadrangle. Amid shouts of "Free the Quad", "Communists Rule", and "Beering has no nads", overe 2,000 spectators formed corridors at 11:40 to watch and cheer as the runners stretched in preparation and circled the courtyard with warm-up laps. -------- The rest of the article goes on to detail how pissed Beering & Co. are, and how they are going to recommended disciplinary action, and so forth. I was there, and thought that it was just a lot of fun...the weather last night was pretty warm, and I think they picked yesterday because (a) Owen Hall held a mini-olympics the night before, presenting a challenge; (b) the only valid administration argument against the N.O. is the danger from cold; and (c) they wanted a lot of people there. It does not cover the female flashers on the 3rd floor of Cary who were very well-received, or the plight of the channel 18 news crew, who found that every time they turned on their lights and cameras, that their audio track consisted of "Fuck You Beering! Fuck You Beering!". Kinda hard to air an interview with that in the background... I spoke with one of the organizers this morning, who happens to be a PUCC person, and recommended that the 60-or-so people likely to be affected consider pooling their funds and hiring the most cunning lawyer they can find...and then turning him loose on Purdue's administration if need be.