“It’s about acceptance,” said senior Zac Strode.

“It’s a way of claiming space,” said sophomore Lisa Mattson.

“It makes you feel at one with nature,” said sophomore Devon Spika.

“It’s a major right of passage to college,” said sophomore Camila Thorndike.

“It’s a bonding thing,” said sophomore Spenser Meeks.

“It lets you toy with social norms,” said senior Clint Kalan.

Different students have different reasons for getting naked. Regardless of the reason, it is not uncommon to find naked students roaming Whitman’s campus. Although not technically legal, many students maintain that not wearing clothes is not really that big of a deal. “Everyone’s nude under everything,” said sophomore Cassie Lee.

College and nudity often go hand in hand. “It’s a part of popular college culture. In movies it’s usually college kids that you see getting naked. That’s not why I do it but I think that this is a unique time in our lives that offers considerable social freedom and choices, more so than perhaps any other stage in life,” said Thorndike.

“I was really uncomfortable with my body and with getting naked all the way up until college. A lot of guys worry about getting naked because it will show everyone the size of their penis. I finally realized that just because someone sees it doesn’t make it any smaller and wearing pants doesn’t make it any bigger,” said Strode.

Body issues prevent girls, too, from getting naked. “Girls have to deal with the whole sexual object thing. You’d rarely find a picture of a naked guy in a girl’s dorm room, but I’ve definitely seen them in guys’ rooms. We take off our clothes and some guys interpret that as sexual,” said Thorndike.

Social norms also must be overcome. For many nudity-lovers, once they get rid of their own fears about getting naked, they still have to deal with the qualms of others.

“With one group of friends at Whitman I’d get naked right away. But with a different group I wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t want to make them feel uncomfortable. I try to do everything I can to make people feel comfortable,” said Strode.

Strode then told a story a night when he, Spika and Thorndike were hanging out on campus naked and a pair of freshmen walked by.

“We asked them if they wanted to get naked but told them they didn’t have to. They didn’t, but they still hung out for a bit,” said Strode.

“Surprisingly, a lot of people didn’t notice us, either because they didn’t care or because they were too wrapped up in their own lives,” said Thorndike of her experience wandering naked across Ankeny.

Lee noticed the Thorndike and Spika as she was walking to the library. “It was kinda weird that it was just two people instead of a team streaking, but everyone is pretty open to nudity at Whitman, so I guess it wasn’t that weird, they were probably just drunk,” said Lee.

Actually, the pair was sober. Spika believes that it’s more genuine that way although she acknowledges that drunk streaking is fun, too.

“Alcohol allows you to forget a lot of your body image issues, but I think that [getting naked] is still just as liberating,” said Meeks.
“I’ve only streaked sober, and it’s nice,” said sophomore Krystina Andrews.

In many other parts of the world, it is not uncommon to find people sober and naked hanging out in broad daylight.

“I lived in Europe for five years where nudity isn’t an issue,” said Spika. “There are no shower curtains and at the beaches there are lots of topless or naked people, young and old. At first, I felt uncomfortable showering naked with a bunch of people, but I think it was actually more awkward to be standing there in a bathing suit than to just get naked like everyone else.”

Unfortunately for some, America has certain laws regarding nudity. Washington law states that a person can be found guilty of indecent exposure for “intentionally making any open or obscene exposure of his or her person.” It becomes a gross misdemeanor if the person exposes him or herself to a person under 14.

Walla Walla municipal code follows along the same lines but adds that this applies to any area open or visible to the public.

Whitman Security Officer Terry Thompson cautions students that this means that if a student were to streak through Reid or Penrose and there was a person under the age of 14, the student could potentially face serious consequences.

Many students believe that the amphitheater is a “clothing-optional” zone.

This is just not true. “There is no clothing-optional place on campus besides your dorm room,” said Thompson.

The area around the amphitheater used to have taller trees, so perhaps that rumor began when it was more secluded. However, a couple of years ago Thomas found evidence that someone had been hiding in the bushes, pleasuring himself.

“We have to think of your safety. You put yourself at risk when you’re naked, especially if you’re alone,” said Thomas.

Although Whitman prohibits “lewd, indecent, obscene expressions or disorderly conduct,” Thomas said that Whitman security officers are unlikely to chase down students they see streaking. However, if the police become involved, it’s a different story.
Sergeant Mike Moses of the Walla Walla police department says that if the police catch Whitman students on campus and the nudity is not “overly offensive,” then most likely “we’ll just tell them to put there clothes back on and go home.”

However, if the nudity occurs downtown, the person is more likely to get a ticket and be required to go to court.

Legal consequences aside, some people just like getting naked.

“Regardless of the shape or form of someone’s body it raises the level of their beauty when they display enough courage to throw down their societal tethers and get naked,” said sophomore Larsen Close.