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CSU cracks down on an annual 'Undie Run' in which students dash around campus in their underwear

Posted at 9:04 AM, May 02, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-02 11:04:24-04

(CNN) — Streaking: It's a cheeky American collegiate tradition -- and more popular with students than administrators.

For years students at Colorado State University have let off steam before finals by running in underwear and swimsuits in an organized "Undie Run" across campus.

But CSU's dean of students, Jody Donovan, is not a fan. Donovan posted a message last week on the unofficial CSU Undie Run 2019 Facebook page, saying "the university will not allow the 'undie run' to take place this year."

She cited an "atmosphere of public intoxication and behavior that risks personal injury ... and sexual misconduct."

Past participants, particularly women, have reported being groped and sexually assaulted during the run and at after-parties, Donovan said. Members of the community who weren't students had joined in, and gawkers showed up to take photos of runners in bras and panties without their knowledge, keeping them "for their personal use," she added.

"We estimate that, since the run began several years ago, the university has spent more than $150,000 in student tuition and fee money to cover the costs of property damage caused by participants and to pay for security," Donovan wrote.

READ MORE: CSU wants to stop annual 'Undie Run' (2016)

She promised "a heightened police presence" on campus on May 10, the evening of the scheduled run, with officers looking out for illegal activity.

"Next fall, the university will create a committee, which would include students as members, to consider proposals from students for an alternative, safe springtime event," Donovan concluded.

CNN reached out to Donovan for further comment but hasn't heard back.

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