So I streaked, running alongside Sockless (and everything elseless, in this case) Pete and a few others for much of the circuit around Science Hall. '80s-style streaking is hard, and I was incredibly winded by the time I was done. A separate naked-parade-style contingent followed.

There are four main reasons why this year's Senior Streak was slightly disappointing:

1. Failure to inform the underclassmen. Most of them had no idea what was going on and when. That's probably usually the case anyways, but word-of-mouth went nowhere. Why?

2. The Phi Tau offensive. Apparently they were the main force behind the campaign to move the streak to Friday, but there were other people too. Our class secretary urged us not to streak that night during his speech at the dinner (presumably because the university wouldn't be able to tell the difference between correlation and causation; my one glass of wine wore off before dessert) and I heard other people not affiliated with the frat spreading the news as well. The confusion means that there will be two smaller streaks instead of one big one. Oh and there was also:

3. The police rumor. Some of the same culprits were claiming that there were police on campus and they might arrest us. It's my understanding that the Appleton cops are usually aware of the streak and are more concerned with keeping Lawrence and Appleton separate for the duration. I remember Carry-Out Carrie arguing that even if were arrested it would be hilarious. Though I don't remember seeing her streak, actually, which may have something to do with the final reason:

4. Lameness. Wow, a lot of Lawrentians are lame. Not just whoever tried to steal our clothes while we were gone (Grace had our backs), but the various people who whined, hesitated, and just generally flaked.

There were people who weren't willing to do it unless the herd joined in: Zack and my two senior roommates hesitated until I actually led them over and showed them that most of the senior girls we knew, as bold of heroes as there every was, had already undressed and in some cases already streaked, like so many sketchy fratboys before them. Kudos to the girls.

Even worse, there were people who only refrained because of what other people might think, and since I'm sure this applies to plenty of people I won't single anyone out. I'm probably too caught up in the symbolism of this (recent, according to Hoffmann) tradition, but streaking seems highly individualistic, a revolt against those very tendencies.

Certainly, there were passerby who did not appreciate the streaking. I overheard a loud aside near Hiett to that effect, and someone shouted "Newsflash seniors! No one wants to see you naked!" as we ran past Science Hall. The voice in my head shouted "prude!" but running naked is not a stance tailored for debate.

And lastly, there were a number of people who will never get naked and had no intention of doing so that night. Seniors who watched the streak deserve special condemnation in that regard, the other people have their individual reasons but are generally lame. Because there's no real argument against the streak, unless you're the kind of person who's not willing to do this kind of thing at any point in your life.

There's not really much dignity in streaking itself, but I have a lot of respect for the kind of person who can just say "what the hell" every now and then.