With Tufts' annual Naked Quad Run (NQR) rapidly approaching, students are weighing the potential exhilaration of the event with the potential embarrassment of finding naked photos of them posted on the Internet.
Though the NQR takes place on Tufts property, the event is open to the public, and the University's voyeuristic neighbors have traditionally turned out in force. More unnerving still, attendees can and do bring cameras and digital recording devices, and photos and footage of the NQR have wound up on the Internet in past years.
According to Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) Captain Mark Keith, "This was a concern brought up last year, and at that time in discussions with students we said that there's not much that we can do about people taking video or photos in public places."
The NQR is different from other campus events such as Spring Fling, where there is a fixed perimeter and only ticket-holders may enter, Keith said. "The quad will be open to the public - to whoever wants to come - on Friday night," he said.
This situation has some students debating whether they should run at all, but most seem to agree that the Tufts tradition is not worth skipping over fears of Internet infamy.
"The NQR is one of the last bastions of social fun on campus, and should be attended no matter what the cost," sophomore Charles Bonello said
"It's the only legitimate tradition that Tufts actually has that's worth participating in," Bonello said. "The Tufts experience, as deflated as it already is by the pillaging the social scene has taken from its administrators, is only reconcilable if you partake in the NQR."
Senior Andrea Shatzman agreed that although digital photos were a legitimate concern, the fun of the NQR trumped her anxieties. "Granted, being naked on the Internet is not one of my top priorities in life, but blurry footage of a mass of naked people, shot at night, doesn't concern me that much," she said.
According to senior Jessica Katz, the problem is not the Tufts tradition, but rather the psychological disposition of those who would actively seek out photos of the event. "If someone is looking for [pornographic] pictures on the Internet and they think that NQR pictures are hot, then they are definitely confused," she said.
Katz said students' fears of damning Internet photos were largely unfounded to begin with. "It's not likely that someone would take a picture of you that would show your face and body and not be blurred. That's why it's called a run," she said.
Friday's event will have a greater police presence than in years past, but Keith said officers would focus more on protecting students from physically injuring themselves than from becoming potential Internet stars.
"We will have more staff on hand than we had last year because of alcohol-related problems, the number of people there, and crowd control issues," Keith said. Adhering to federal drinking laws and drinking in moderation would be essential to ensuring a safe night, he said.
"We'll be in different areas where people may be gathering prior to the event, and we will be checking to ensure that there isn't any underage drinking going on. We're expecting full cooperation from ResLife," Keith said.
Junior and Tufts Community Union Senator Rafi Goldberg, who is a volunteer safety co-coordinator for the NQR, said the "pretty large police presence, as well as safety volunteers in orange vests, will hopefully act as a deterrent" against any unwanted photographers.
Both Goldberg and Keith said the best way to avoid appearing on the Internet, though, is not to strip down in the first place. "I wish I had some better advice, but if students want to be absolutely sure that nothing will happen, the best thing is not to run," Goldberg said.
Bonello had a different take on the situation: "Get over yourself. Who'd want to see you naked, anyway?"
