The Triangle

Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: News

Media Credit: gtmcknight.com Participating students will be invited to take off their clothes and donate them to charities such as the Salvation Army, and then participate in a two-mile run in their underwear.

A group of students are trying to organize an "Undie Run" in University City May 3, where students will be invited to donate their clothes to charity and then run around a predetermined route in their underwear.

The organizers said they plan to invite all Philadelphia college students, especially targeting Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania communities, to show up at midnight on May 3 wearing clothing they no longer want. Bins will be provided to take your clothes off and donate them to a yet to be determined charity.

Vice President of the effort and junior business administration and finance major Ryan

Wheeler said they will be contacting the Salvation Army along with various other charity organizations.

Once students have stripped down to their knickers, they will be invited to participate in a two-mile run around a mapped out route through the Drexel and Penn campuses.

"Going with the snowball effect weíve found on the online social network, it's becoming more of an effort to build a sense of community among the Philadelphia schools," said Vice President and junior architecture student Zach Newhard.

Wheeler said they are in the process of applying for a parade permit from the City of Philadelphia to close off the street in order to ensure safety during the event.

A group of about six men are behind this plan. They started a Facebook group to get the word out about the event. To date, there are 713 people in the Facebook group.

The group's public relations and advertising Chair, sophomore chemical engineering student Lucas Hippel, said Facebook will be the primary way of keeping students informed about the event. They will also use flyers, chalking and word of mouth.

The group's president and sophomore civil engineering student, Dan Vignola, said the run is gaining popularity with other schools on Facebook as well; he has been contacted by students at St. Joseph's University, Penn and Temple.

The group plans on approaching the administration about possibly getting funding for security and a non-alcoholic after party in the quad, but details are still undecided.

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