Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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r USC celo BY CHUCK CROMER Of The Gamecock staff The Carolina Community will soon be celebrating the first an niversary of the most unique college fad to swamp campuses in more than fifteen years STREAKING. One year ago this Tuesday, March 4, the "CAROLINA 509" streaked USC and sent our college to the top of the National Streaking Poll. Even though our reign in the Number 1 position was short-lived, the excitement and nostalgia of this unusual event ruled our campus and the country for more than six months. The streaking epidemic that once enveloped our campus has all but been forgotten at USC. Most students fondly remember last year's fad when questioned about it, but few can recall the details. A recap of those memorable moments is overdue. As I recall, it all began with a dare when the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill challenged . (Above) Members of the 'Carolina 5 displayed their artistic endeavor i great streak began. (Right i Excited raised their hands proudly signi About Camt ?brates is us to top their streaking mark of about 200. Because of this, all hell broke loose for a week at USC. On Sunday, March 3, thousands of students milled in front of Russell House to see what reaction USC would have to this bold challenge from a long standing rival. During the course of the night, almost 100 individual students streaked through the speechless thousands. The fad had arrived. The next night, Monday, March 4, the national spotlight was focussed on Columbia as several fraternities and numerous other students had vowed to break UNC's record. The reader can best appreciate the atmosphere at Carolina that listoric Monday night if she or he iad attended a rock festival of the ate 60's or early 70's. More than 5,000 spectators crowded Green treet and Russell House. A festival atmosphere lominated the gathering. Most of he crowd had been partying for kours in anticipation of the record W9 proudly Carolina was 1% efore the streaking. (Bel spectators made their way ti ying that delight of the 5nE )US t streaking setting event. The stale smell of beer and pot filled the air. ABC also waited, expecting to capture on film one of the most unusual new sports ever to sweep the country. Obviously national television exposure made this festive occasion that much more invigorating. It was around 10:00 that evening and the crowd was getting restless. From here, Mark Morrow and Joe Logan, who covered the story for the Gamecock last Spring, describe the action. "Then it happened. From out of the dark, led by a torch came the 509. Resembling the beginning of the 01 mpic Games, the USC streakers made their way up the Bates House Ramp towards Green Street. Short, long, tall, fat; they came in all sizes." "Amidst mass hysteria, strangely enough, only the streakers maintained their composure. The naked procession CHARLES GAY umber 1 in the nation in iw) The streakers solemnly arough the library much to the etators. 9.,ee e t 64I RUSS JEFFCOAT entert annivers< proceeded down Green Street, where it turned and headed for South Building. The final Jestinations were the Capstone ,olumbia Hall area, over the Pickens Street Bridge to the President's House, and later to the Jndergraduate Library. Exiting stage right, the streakers began to :hant, 'Go to hell Chapel Hill, go to tell!' The next night, Todd Rundgren was to appear in the Coliseum in a ,ree concert for all USC students ind their guests. More than 7,000 tudents were expected to attend. Problems arose when rumors :irculated that there would be a nass streak at the concert. Todd, when informed that the show would be shut down if a mass treak occurred, politely asked the iuge audience to keep their clothes )n until after the program was Inished when he personally would )articipate in a little streaking. True to his word, Rundgren iisited the campus and proceeded o streak around Woodrow Dor nitory and the Horseshoe ac :ompanied by dozens of admiring ans. When questioned by Rolling ,tone Magazine as to why he treaked, Rundgren replied, "I'm ust a crazy college kid at heart vho can appreciate a little fun." The administration of the Jniversity wasn't laughing too nuch, however, as former ainment try President Thomas Jones com mented, "This spring foolishness has gone far enough. It is time for the exhibitionist students and their thousands of supporters to lay aside this flaunting of modesty and return to acceptable values." Undoubtedly, Jones was a party pooper. What does all of this mean? Mark Morrow described it per fectly when he wrote about the aftermath of that Monday night streak. He states, "All conjured up images of the clamor and merrymaking of the night before. The night when 509 nude students ran the length of the campus, but the images are all the mind can conjure. There is no way to cap ture the moment of excitement; the youthful enthusiasm." "It is all lost in a thousand words and expressions. Once the streakers had passed and I had seen them all; the moment was gone. An uneasy feeling replaced what was only moments before the most carefree emotions I had experienced in months. I wished somehow time could be stopped and I could get off for a while because here was a moment in which nothing really mattered." Never have so many students participated in such a harmless, spontaneous activity. USC needs a little streaking or gathering of this nature once in awhile to let its inner feelings and emotions out. Will USC do it again? c. acesoa