UCLA Undie Run
The UCLA Undie Run is a quarterly student tradition where students wear underwear and run from the tunnel on Charles E. Young Drive South and Gayley Avenue to Dickinson Court on the UCLA campus, where Royce Hall and Powell Library are located. This popular student event — unaffiliated with the university — takes place on the Wednesday of finals week at midnight. To learn more about the UCLA undie run, check out this Daily Bruin article by clicking the button below.
Before the UCLA Undie Run, there was another finals week tradition called the midnight yell; at midnight every night of the week (starting Sunday of finals week), students screamed from all over campus — the dorms, apartments, libraries and more — to let out their stress from studying. The yell can last minutes and was an exciting, liberating tradition.
When the midnight yell was banned in 2002 due to concerns about disruption and safety, UCLA theater student Eric Whitehead was frustrated by the decision. In protest, he and 13 other students, paraded around Westwood in their underwear, singing a song on the travesty of the midnight yell. This was the first UCLA Undie Run.
In 2009, just a few years later, the UCLA Undie Run was banned over safety concerns. Despite these bans, both the midnight yell and the Undie Run continue to be celebrated traditions today.
There are many other non-banned UCLA traditions students can participate in such as rubbing the bear paw for good luck, the Crosstown Rivalry and attending Bruin Bash.
The bear paw that Bruins rub for good luck is on the bear statue in the middle of UCLA campus. Bruins rub this bear paw before going into midterms, finals or whenever they need a bit of good luck.
The Crosstown Rivalry is the long-standing rivalry between UCLA and USC, specifically the annual UCLA versus USC football game. Every year leading up to the big game, students from each school attempt to vandalize the other school’s mascot statue. Therefore, UCLA and USC wrap their statues weeks in advance to protect them from each other. At UCLA, expect to see the Bruin bear safely hidden by a large wooden box a few weeks before the Crosstown Rivalry.
Bruin Bash is an annual concert hosted by Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) Campus Events Commission and Cultural Affairs at the beginning of each school year. In the past, artists like Pinkpanthress, Charli XCX, Dababy and more have come to UCLA to perform. The event takes place during welcome week and is hosted at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on the UCLA campus.
The True Bruin Traditions Keeper (TBTK), part of UCLA’s New Student & Transition Program, highlights more student traditions across categories such as UCLA spirit, recreation, academics, athletics and more. To check out the full list of UCLA traditions according to TBTK, click the link below.
To learn more about UCLA slang from the Alumni Association, such as the death stairs, 4s Up and more, click the button below.
