The Curtiss to Beardshear run is a time-honored (unofficial) ISU tradition where you run *naked* from the steps of Curtiss, across central campus, to the steps of Beardshear when the clock rings at midnight. The idea is to make it across central campus before the campanile stops ringing its 12 chimes.
Keep in mind that "Campaniling" is also a popular ISU tradition, which consists of kissing your sweetheart under the campanile at midnight. You can imagine the ridiculous scene on our campus at that hour.
Why has such an outrageous activity become so common on our campus?
Because now is the only time in our lives that it will ever be even mildly acceptable to do ridiculous things, or even be expected of us.
In ten years, you will hopefully have a full-time job, maybe a family, and lots of responsibilities. You will no longer be able to dismiss rambunctious behavior off as "I was young and dumb."
Sadly, we aren't getting younger and our lives aren't getting longer.
That's why that one minute of sheer craziness and freedom of the Curtiss to Beardshear run is so appealing for some.
For now, we are all living in the present. We are living out each moment we have before our responsibilities become greater, our friends become farther, and our years become shorter.
The Curtiss to Beardshear is all in the now. It exists without worry of the future, and only in the joy of the present, and that's why it will always be the ultimate college tradition.
