Ohio University students stripped down to their skivvies and ran down Court Street through the snow and ice Saturday.
The Student Alumni Board and Phi Kappa Psi fraternity co-hosted the third annual Bare on the Bricks event, which invited students to donate their clothing and run down Court Street half naked to raise money and collect clothes for local charities and shelters.
Bare on the Bricks is a way to integrate OU’s campus and the city of Athens, said Sarah Burkhart, a senior studying accounting and president of the Student Alumni Board, who participated in the run this year.
“I saw the passion of everyone taking clothes off their back for the surrounding community,” Burkhart said. “I’ll be graduating in the spring and this is my way of showing my appreciation for what Athens has given me.”
Between 400 and 500 participated in Bare on the Bricks and raised $1,972, said Alyson Kado, a sophomore studying organizational communication and vice president of philanthropy for the Student Alumni Board.
She added that although a total count is not yet available for the clothing items donated, there were between 50 and 100 30-gallon trash bags of clothing collected.
“This is the biggest turnout for Bare on the Bricks in the three years that it was done,” Kado said. “I think that this event went very well. A lot of people who pre-registered didn’t show up due to weather, (but) we still raised a lot of money, and a lot of clothes were donated, which is the important thing. There are enough bags to fill an entire room.”
The Student Alumni Board hasn’t yet chosen a charity that will receive the money, and the clothing will go to a variety of shelters in Athens, Nelsonville and The Plains, Kado said.
Participants said the cold weather didn’t deter them from running barely clothed down Court Street, with an afterparty at Courtside Pizza serving as the finish line.
“I’ve been planning to run in Bare on the Bricks since a week ago, when my friends decided they were doing it,” said Kyle Hasslinger, a sophomore studying political science. “I like donating clothes to help people in the community, while college kids get to do crazy things like running down the street half naked.”
The event’s sponsors included University Bookstore, Fluff Bakery & Catering, Brenen’s Coffee Café and Courtside Pizza. The planning took several months, Kado said.
“Preparing for the event isn’t just hanging a poster board or flyers or wondering where someone should go,” she said. “We needed to get a parade permit so we could close down Court Street, and for that, we needed to talk to OUPD and keep communicating with them.”
As for the event’s dress code, there was no shame running in next to nothing, said Michael Rehl, a junior studying marketing.
“I got the adrenaline (rush) of seeing everyone running for the same cause,” Rehl said. “I wasn’t really embarrassed running down Court Street, since nearly everyone else was in the same position as me. It was cold and exhilarating. This is an event that I would like to do again next year.”
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