We don't think it'd be productive to call in the National Guard or create more of a dangerous situation than we need to. The more people try to stop it, the more determined the students will be. Officials at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor agree. For 13 years, students have streaked for a mile at midnight to mark the end of classes, in late April. As with Princeton's Nude Olympics, the Naked Mile draws participants who become drunk to overcome shyness, as well as camera-toting spectators who post images of contestants on the Internet.
Administrators have reason to be cautious, as some campus traditions have led to disaster.
For 90 years, the bonfire has marked the football team's annual game with its archrival, the University of Texas at Austin. While the accident has raised questions about the future of the bonfire, university officials say they won't make a decision until they find out what caused the collapse. The university has assigned an independent commission to investigate the incident. I've seen on television parents of students, who were leaving the funerals talking about supporting the future of the bonfire. That's powerful stuff.