Crowds of students taking their clothes off in Dunn Meadow were encouraged rather than disciplined Wednesday night.
They were participating in the Nearly Naked Mile, an IU Homecoming tradition in its eighth year. Students clad in almost no clothing wore LED lights and ran from Dunn Meadow, past Showalter Fountain and finished at the Sample Gates.
“It’s a really simple idea,” said Mike Mann, director of alumni programs for the IU Alumni Association. “It’s only a mile, it’s nothing serious and it’s not timed, so that makes it easy for students to have fun with it.”
But the participants were running for a greater purpose as well, Mann said. To register for the event, students must have donated either $10 or two items of clothing. These donations all go to United Way of Monroe County.
“We teamed up with IU for a clothes drive, and it eventually turned into the Nearly Naked Mile,” said Darcie Lowe, resource development assistant director for United Way of Monroe County. “The more fun an event is and the more people that are around, the easier it is to get the word out about the actual work you’re doing.”
United Way serves as an umbrella organization that raises funds for 25 member agencies in the community, Lowe said. All clothing donations from the run are given to the Salvation Army, and monetary funds are filtered back into the community through organizations like the American Red Cross and Hoosier Hills Food Bank.
The run raised $2,528 last year and had about 2,500 participants, Mann said. Similar numbers were expected this year.
“It became a bucket list item with the Office of First Year Experiences, and that’s when we saw an upturn in popularity,” Mann said.
The event also featured a PizzaX truck, the band 800 lb Gorilla and tables from Culture of Care, Safe Sisters, Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault, and the Union Board. Students started stripping down and warming up about an hour before the 8:15 p.m. start time.
“The race just seemed like a good way to let loose and shed some clothes,” race participant Emily Smitheram said. “It’s a really creative way to raise money, and it’s so much cooler than just standing on some street corner and canning.”
Smitheram and two friends were dressed in spandex shorts, bras and colorful hats.
“We knew we could have a great time coming up with funny outfits for it,” Bailey Swan, another runner, said. “It’s totally just a no-judgement zone, and that makes it fun.”
The idea for the event was originally borrowed from the University of Missouri. After seeing the success the school had experienced, the IU Alumni Association thought a similar event would be a good way to get students more involved in homecoming week.
“I think it really creates a sense of unity for everyone who comes out,” said Ryan Thompson, publicity and social media chair for the homecoming committee.
As more runners started preparing for the race, freshman Luma Khabbaz, a representative for United Way, spoke to the crowd.
“We hope you have a great time,” Khabbaz said. “But we hope you remember why you’re here, too.”
