Tufts president ends December naked student run

[March 16, 2011]  MEDFORD, Mass. (AP) -- The president of Tufts University in Massachusetts has put an end to the student tradition of running around nude to mark the end of the fall semester.

President Lawrence Bacow (BACK'-ow) said in an op-ed piece in the student newspaper Monday that the Naked Quad Run has become too dangerous because of excessive alcohol consumption, slippery sidewalks and dangerously low temperatures that put student health at risk. He also noted that police consider it illegal. Bacow referred to the run as "carnage." He says two students who participated in December were hospitalized with high blood-alcohol levels. The run dates to the 1970s. Disappointed students say it was a way to blow off steam at the end of the semester and that a drunken few ruined it for the majority. [Associated Press] Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.