The men’s basketball white-out game received an unexpected interruption during a time-out when a University sophomore ran across the court wearing only boxers on Thursday, Dec. 5.
Due to Monmouth University Police Department (MUPD) protocol, William McElrath, Chief of MUPD, said that the name of the University sophomore that committed the act cannot be released.
To the University’s knowledge, there is no recollection of a similar previous act of misconduct that occurred during a University-sponsored event. “I have to say, I’ve been here for 28 years, I don’t know if I can recall another instance [of the act],” Mary Anne Nagy, Vice President of Student and Community Services, said. “Although there may have been one or two but I don’t recall them.”
The act was a surprise and left students and faculty unsure of what was happening as the sophomore made his way across the court.
The student’s act was visible for an average of five seconds as he made his way from one end of the court to the other. As he reached the opposite end, the student was followed by Rich Carragher, the Assistant Athletics Director.
Once the sophomore was apprehended, he was turned over to the MUPD for them to take the necessary actions. “One of the athletics staff members yelled at the individual to stop and he did. He was then led to a side office by University police,” said McElrath.
In the process of catching the sophomore, the MUPD found that the student was intoxicated, thus in violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
According to the Student Code of Conduct, students are prohibited from, “The use, possession, distribution, or being in the presence of alcoholic beverages except as expressly permitted by the law and University regulations, or intoxication.”
Nagy said the student will be penalized according to the University Student Code of Conduct. “It’s the same process that we would follow when dealing with a situation following student misconduct,” said Nagy.
Nagy explained that when a student commits an act of misconduct, the act is followed by the MUPD creating an incident report. The report is then sent to University Judicial Affairs who determines whether the act violates the University Student Code of Conduct. The severity and details of the action will then determine the charges the student will receive.
“It is my recollection … that University police did catch him, did identify who the student is, and we will be filing formal charges under the [Student] Code of Conduct,” said Nagy.
The University student will face formal charges in the West Long Branch courts and disciplinary actions from the University.
Students believe that the sophomore coordinated the act in advance. “It seemed like he had planned this because he went straight through the tunnel to try and make a quick escape,” said Dan Pizzimenti, a sophomore.
Nagy explained that the student’s consequences will be determined in a fair and equitable manner. Nagy said, “…like anything there are consequences for our actions, both good and bad.” She continued to explain that she believes the student “perhaps was overzealous in their enthusiasm for the game and made this decision.”
Students said that they were surprised by the act. “The guy ran across the court in nothing but his underwear, and the crowd seemed to like it,” said Sam Marin, a senior.
“I never saw a streaker before, but I’m glad I finally got to see it,” said Rebecca Zidik, a junior.
“He didn’t harm anyone so I don’t think he should really get in trouble,” Priali Abah, a sophomore, said. “…He did it purely for attention and humor.”
Numerous tweets and Facebook statuses filled social media, and a video was posted on Instagram by a student who recorded the act.
Michael Udayakumar, a senior communication student, tweeted on Dec. 5 at 8:56 pm, “Never in my 4 years here at Monmouth University did I think I’d ever see a streaker at our basketball game lmfaooo how’s that for TV #ESPN?” Udayakumar’s tweet was favorited four times and retweeted by University students five times.
“If I could say one thing to the streaker it would be, keep your shoes on so that way your feet had grip on the floor in order to get away clean,” said Pizzimenti. “Also, I would say congratulations [streaker] on placing yourself in the history books of Monmouth and becoming a legend.”
Additional reporting done by Alyssa Gray and Maggie Zelinka.
