University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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STORY CON IINTT.D FROM PAGE 13 event has grown from a Uni- versity-wide event into an at- traction annually gathering over 10,000 spectators, in- cluding those eager to capi- talize off of college students disrobing in public. Recently, runners have had their pic- tures show up in tabloid maga- zines and, more commonly, on the Internet. Thisyear, however, a seem- ingly carefree campus tradi- tion somehow turned sour. In the past, students were sim- ply informed by University of- ficialsthat the Naked Mile was not sponsored by the Univer- B ' 1 sity, and that students should CAELAN JORDAN be aware of the consequences of the run, such as unsolicited appearances on Internet por- nography sites. And then offi- cials looked the other way. Not so anymore. Students d o TRADITIONS were warned both by Ann Arbor police and the Univer- sity that participation in the run would result in arrest and prosecution. Because of the high publicity the warnings received, many students thought twice about running; as a result, fewer students ran the Naked Mile than in recent years. Some students who did participate, however, saw the warnings in a different light. The illicitness is just going to make me run harder, said an anonymous senior. Many students who did run in the event carried cloth- ing with them as a precau- tion. Ann Arbor police issued statements saying that arrests would be made only if the offender refused to put on clothing at the time of the citation. Theycan ' tjustsingle out a few people, said junior political science major Karl Hungus. They can ' t arrest everyone. Other students decided to take a more active role in the Naked Mile by volunteering to staff the event, protecting students and the audience alike by offering security. We ' re here to keep people from getting groped. If secu- rity does a good job, the Uni- versity will allow the tradition to continue, said junior psy- chology major Chessa Rosario. The tradition of the Naked Mile did stand in jeopardy at theend of winterterm, simply because so few students did participate in the event. De- creased participation could lead to the conclusion of the tradition on campus. Likewise, questions sur- rounding the propriety of the Naked Mile on campus also enveloped the activities of Hash Bash, held thefirst week- end in April every year. As always, the legalization dem- onstration generated a lot of debate from all sides of the protest. The University cannot hold this event on campus anymore. It is too controver- sial, said a freshman student who wished to remain anony- mous. Hash Bash, however, was less threatened because it is less of a student activity than the Naked Mile is. Hash Bash attracts more people from out- side the University, while the Naked Mile ' s runners gener- ally come from the University student body. Regardless of their place on campus, however, Hash Bash and the Naked Mile both made their mark on campus life in April, just as they have for many years. As campus traditions, they have attracted a wide range of attention to the University, putting the school in a national spotlight twice in the same month. 14 Hash Bash and Naked Mile

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TRADITIONS hash bash and naked mile, once strongholds of campus tradition, experience setbacks Two senior women stand in the crowd outside of Ulrich ' s Bookstore at the corner of East University and South Uni- versity Avenues. It is the four- teenth of April, and many stu- dents have been waiting for this day. It is the last day of classes, the freedom of the end of winter term is in sight, and tonight is the annual run- ning of the Naked Mile. The women linger among the crowds, watching the first throngs of runners as they round the corner and head into the West Hall Arch. And then, while the rest of the audience is preoccupied with the spectacle, the women begin to undress. They do it quickly, as if removing their inhibitions along with their clothes. And once naked, they push through the crowd, who has, by now, noticed them and parts for them to pass. The women join the other run- ners, taking off for the annual dash to the Cube. It ' s just something you have to do at least once, one of the women says as she passes by, clothes clutched in a free arm. You can ' t come to U of M and not do it. And in fact, every year since 1 982, students have been run- ning the Naked Mile in the dark night following the last day of classes. Starting at Washtenaw Avenue and Hill Street at the Rock itself an illicit campus tradition stu- dents annually make the run down Washtenaw to South University Avenue, through CONTINUED the Arch, past the Shapiro and ON PAGE 14 Graduate Libraries, and across State Street to the Cube. The STORY Michigan Life 13

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Counting cash, a street vendor displays hemp items. Hemp products were a trend amongst smokers and non- smokers alike. photo by Abby Johnson Against a backdrop of bongs, a student purchases paraphernalia. Various goods were sold on the street, photo by Abby Johnson Announcing his presence, a runner sprints through campus. Some students disregarded warnings against running the Naked Mile, photo by David Wolfe Covered in garbage bags, a Naked Mile runner conceals himself. Many runners wore costumes for the event, photo by David Wolfe Michigan Life 15