Students bare their thoughts about streaking, a campus tradition not sponsored by UNC

From drinking at the Old Well on the first day of class to climbing the Bell Tower as a senior, there are many traditions that first-years can expect during their time at UNC. One tradition not sponsored by the University that new students may be unaware of, however, could become a "bare" essential for those who are interested in letting it all hang out.

Streaking at UNC takes place every semester on the night before the first day of finals. Onlookers crowd around the Davis Library entrance and beyond, making noise for their classmates as they head to the building’s eighth floor — the starting location of the streak.

“At that point, everyone's already lining up, so it feels like you're walking into an athletic event,” a former streaker, who asked to remain anonymous, said. 

After streaking through the library in ski masks, undergarments, bikinis, costumes — including, but not limited to, a Grinch ensemble and a Batman mask — or nothing at all, participants gather to sing the alma mater before returning to Davis Library to take photos with books covering their private areas. The anonymous streaker said that despite being naked, the experience didn’t make him feel so exposed.

“You're doing this crazy thing, and you're doing it with a bunch of other people, so you feel protected,” he said. “You feel comforted that you're not the only one doing it.” 

In fact, students have been doing it at the University for 50 years. On Feb. 8, 1974, a student streaked through the lobby of The Carolina Inn at a time when streaking was sweeping the nation. Colleges across the country aimed to set the record for the largest demonstration of streaking, including Western Carolina University, Wake Forest University and the University of Colorado, and UNC-Chapel Hill was no exception.

On Feb. 27, 1974, approximately 200 Tar Heel students streaked across campus. After the University of South Carolina topped UNC’s total with around 500 streaks on March 4, the Tar Heels planned their comeback for the night of March 6. 

Beginning at Magnum and Joyner residence halls, 924 students, including 65 women, streaked past an estimated crowd of 5,000 observers. 

“It was college community. It was rebellion. It was different — it wasn't 'how many students can you fit into a phone booth?' type of thing," Mark Tuvim, a 1974 streak organizer, said. 

Tuvim prepared for the event by painting information about the streak on a cube outside the Student Union, a way that clubs advertise themselves to this day, and talking to UNC Police, who blocked off streets for the streakers. Seeing his work through to the very end, Tuvim said that he was the first person out the door when the streaking began. 

“I’m glad I did it and I’m glad it’s continued,” he said.

The University had established a new record — for 24 hours. The next day, an estimated total of over 1,500 students streaked at the University of Georgia. But even without a record to boast at UNC, streaking still generated buzz at the time.

In a story published by The Daily Tar Heel on March 8, 1974, Stephen Worchel, a University psychologist, told reporter Bob Wicker that students might be streaking to relieve frustrations associated with the Watergate scandal. The DTH also published multiple letters to the editor where students expressed amusement and disgust at the streaks.

The 1974 streaking movement faded from mainstream pop culture just as quickly as it started, only to be reborn again in the decades following. For example, Harvard University’s "Primal Scream" that started in the 1990s involved a streaking component. 

To this day, UNC’s streaking serves as a pivotal and widely celebrated end to the semester. However, 50 years later, streaking still generates ethical concerns, such as whether filming the event hurts its prospects. 

“I think the recording is gonna kill it, because that's everyone's biggest concern doing it — is the being recorded,” a recent graduate, who asked to remain anonymous, said. 

In an email statement to The DTH, University Libraries wrote that they do not organize or condone the streaking that takes place within the library facilities. 

“These activities have led to damage to library spaces, interrupt operations and are destructive to the well-being of Library staff and University housekeepers who must repair damaged furniture, clean up graffiti, vandalized books and trash left by crowds every semester,” the email said.   

Despite controversy surrounding the event, streaking continues to draw in both spectators and participants. Another former streaker, who asked The DTH to withhold her identity, said she felt supported throughout her experience. 

“Honestly it was a super positive crowd," she said. "I actually found it to be a pretty empowering experience as far as body positivity and body confidence."

Whether students choose to participate in the decades-old tradition or sit it out entirely, one streaker said that it is the student’s decision to make. 

“No one should feel like they have to, but if it's something that anyone going to Carolina is remotely interested in, I would say do it before you graduate,” he said.

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