Soon a questionable tradition called the "Bun Run" will be upon us again. For those who don’t know, this is an event that usually takes place on Sunday night before finals week where a handful of male students hide behind masks and run naked through campus buildings, disrupting students and staff.
As a Notre Dame Food Services manager at The Huddle for 25 years, I work with 200 employees. On behalf of my employees, I respectfully ask you to consider a few things before participating in or supporting this event. We have been dealing with the negative effects of this for years, and we’ve received numerous complaints from staff.
Our employees are here to help and serve the students and should not to be subjected to harassment and offensive behavior at their daily jobs. My female staff often request schedule changes or hide in the kitchen or elsewhere in the building when this event takes place. They work extremely hard and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. This creates a hostile work environment for them. How would you feel if your mother or grandmother were working here and someone did this to them?
Do those who participate in this event really want to, or is there an ugly form of peer pressure being applied to coerce participation? Don't put your friends into this situation. In the past, coeds even lined up to watch this run. Again I ask, are people going along just to fit in? Are you contributing to the problem? This community includes the thousands of staff members that support you. Students, it is time to stand up and do what is right.
Public nudity on school grounds is against University policy. I ask you to think about the reality of what you are doing and the ramifications it could have on your future. Is it worth it? I know that Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits this behavior, and I’ve been told that the University is obligated by law to prevent this harassment from happening in the future. This is a serious issue. Please, I ask you, don't throw your college career away on a “tradition” that is against the rules, illegal and offensive to others.
I hope this letter helps you understand the way this is impacting others. I hope you care. I hope you rally against it. My bet is that the majority of Notre Dame students would not support something that is so harmful to the employees of our community.
Fred Kraus
The Huddle Food Services manager
April 21
