This information is provided by the Professors &
Researchers Special Interest Group of The Naturist Society.
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Campus
Nudist
Organizations
For spontaneous unofficial nudity on many campuses,
see the streaking page. For dreams
about what could be, see the visionary
colleges page. For non-campus groups of this same age range,
see the young adult groups page.
If you want to attend a college with nude activities
today, your two choices are the organized off-campus events at Florida
State University, or the monthly streaking at Rice University in Texas.
Here are the known
student nudist organizations ever officially recognized by their
colleges:
Most people had forgotten
about the early student nudist groups at Cal State Northridge and Rice,
before the
University of Pennsylvania Naturist Student
Association claimed in 1994 to be the first in the nation. Unlike
other groups, the Pennsylvania club staged a one-hour nude recruiting
drive on campus, citing freedom of speech protection. The group
fell apart when
Gons Nachman, the founder, graduated.
The Longhorn Nudists organized at the University of
Texas at Austin in February of 1995, but collapsed before the year was
out. Five years later, someone tried to revive the club with a
web page that was never finished. During the organization's brief
existence, they managed to get themselves officially recognized by
campus authorities, make contact with the local naturist group, and
publish some useful pointers in Nude
& Natural.
The University of
Toronto Naturists claimed (probably accurately) in 1998 to be the first
campus nude organization officially recognized in Canada.
Unfortunately, their swims at an off-campus rented pool attracted some
community members, but few students. The group faded away when
Thomas Lundy, the founder, graduated.
And so, Naturally
FSU, founded in 2009 at Florida State University, is the sixth known
officially recognized student naturist group in North America.
Unlike the other groups, it is affiliated with a longstanding nudist
organization in the community.
Au Naturel at CSUN
by Gary Mussell
The first college nudist club in the country was at
Cal State Northridge started in 1973. I know, I was there, one of
its charter members. This preceded the campus clubs in
Pennsylvania and Toronto by a full decade. The CSUN group stayed
together for about 10 years, through the 1970s and into the
mid-80s. Many of us remained active even after graduation as a
non-landed club and some of us are still friends 35 years later.
The full story: We were officially recognized and
registered with the college. The 70s were the heyday of free
beaches, so it wasn’t as tough as today.
Even so, we went through quite a number of student
government committee meetings as I recall, and our faculty sponsor had
tenure and that helped. We had to have all meetings
off-campus. Luckily one of the students lived only a mile from
campus and had a large back yard and pool, so we met there and had
monthly pool parties. I remember each Halloween we had a body
painting party at the home of one member who didn’t mind the
paint splatters.
After we all graduated we continued to use each
other’s back yards for pool parties, plus there were a couple of
houseboat trips. Once we took over a motel in Palm Springs and
had it nude just for us for a weekend. Elysium Fields, which was
about 10 miles away, gave us a “club day” once a month, so
that is how many in the group were introduced to that nudist park.
The club’s name was Au Natural. Our
downfall was we stopped finding new members and leaders on
campus. We were still going strong but eventually CSUN closed us
for inactivity at the college. After Elysium closed in 2000 many
of us organized our current club, Southern California Naturist
Association, and there are about 6-7 of us old timers from Au Natural
still active in it today. Somewhere there is a photo album of all
of us VERY young in a hot tub and also on a
houseboat I think, if you are interested. Fun times.
A Forgotten Campus Group at Rice Remembered
by Randall Terrell
Professors & Researchers SIG
Newsletter
August 2012
I started Rice Students Seeking Total Tans in the
spring of 1985, and it continued through the middle of '86. We
got official University recognition, a faculty sponsor, and even had a
page in the year book. [It shows two men and four women standing
behind a blanket.] These are just the officers and, as you can
see, I had pretty good taste in choosing my officers.
There was one newspaper article in the Rice Thresher, maybe two. I
got the club formed to raise a little hell in Spring '85. There
were a number of Christian groups that were growing on campus at the
time and they were giving people trouble about the long-established
practice of laying out naked on the sundecks. I'd already done a
little battle with them over the sundecks at Will Rice College (one of
the dorms). Most of our larger gatherings were actually on top of
the architecture building. So, I went whole hog and got official
university recognition for our group as a campus-wide
organization. We had a table at the student organization fair
(fall 85) and, possibly due to the help of my officers, we had over
half the freshmen class sign up as interested.
The group fell apart after I graduated—no one
else to carry the banner.
I will note that 4-5 years later, I was back in
graduate school in Houston. I hung with a number of folks who
were still undergraduates, and those folks had excellent swimming pool
access at a business. They'd frequently throw after-hours
parties. Of interest about this is that all the students of
around my school year who swam at these after hours parties—all
of them, without exception—always skinny dipped. And, among
the folks who were still undergraduates, none of them EVER skinny
dipped. There was a huge difference in a just a few years
concerning students' attitudes to nudity.
At the time that I formed the club (1985) I remember
that there were at least 2, maybe 3, other student naked organizations
in the country. Now, of course, I can't remember who they were.
U Penn Nudists Bare All at Rally
by Daniel Gingiss
Daily Pennsylvanian
May 13, 1994
Due to the near-90-degree temperatures at the end of
last month, most students were scantily dressed in T-shirts and
shorts. But for members of the newly-formed University of
Pennsylvania Naturist Student Association, the day was an occasion to
not dress at all. The Association--the first of its kind in the
United States, according to president, second year Law student Gons
Nachman--held a one-hour demonstration at the Peace Symbol on College
Green to show that "nude is not lewd." As wide-eyed students,
faculty and Open Expression Monitors alike looked on, the group of
about eight stripped down to complete nakedness.
According to the Association's Basic Principles and
Philosophy document, the group believes that nudity is "natural,
wholesome, and positive," and should not be equated with sexuality.
"I started this organization because I wanted to
take advantage of the intelligent environment of a college campus to
make the philosophy of naturism visible in the community," Nachman
announced to a group of about 50 passersby. "We want to show, as
you can see, that we feel comfortable with nudity."
The event consisted of five brief speeches by
Association members, plus a few videos on the naturist movement.
Nachman, who said he has studied constitutional and criminal law,
maintains "that our behavior is lawful and is protected by the First
Amendment of the Constitution because we are trying to communicate a
message."
Nachman and company have defended that message
several times in the past. In April, 1993, after being denied
permission to appear nude in a law class because a student was
uncomfortable, Nachman stood naked outside the Law School on Sansom
Street in silent protest. And last summer, the Association
performed in a nude run across campus--in broad daylight.
Pierce College freshman Monica Obiols, who was one
of two women to appear nude April 25, said she does not understand why
nudity is considered more of a taboo for women than for men. "I
guess it's because it's an issue that has been around for many years,
so women don't think about it anymore," she said. "They just do
what society wants them to do and just follow the rules."
First-year Education graduate student Phillip
Tromovitch said he is pleased not only with the turnout of people to
watch the event, but with their attitudes as well. "Most of the
people here that are in the audience aren't really paying attention,"
he said. "It's not a big deal--there's a bunch of naked people up
here and people don't really care." Tromovitch, who spends most of his
time at home in the nude, said the apparent apathy toward the nude
students is good because it means people are accepting of it and that
it is seemingly natural.
College senior David Abramson, the only University
undergraduate to appear in the demonstration, said it is important to
differentiate between nudity and sexuality. "Nudity and sexuality
are not inextricably intertwined," he said. "They are separable,
and this should, if nothing else, demonstrate that."
The event continued peacefully for more than an
hour, and the once wide-eyed students on College Green went back to
eating their lunches.
"I think it's great--I don't think I could do it,
but more power to them and I enjoy watching," said first-year Medical
student Bill Resnick, who was dining on the Green. "I think the
people are actually pretty brave to do what they're doing, and act on
their principles."
What Has Worked at the
U.T.-Austin
by Kevin Kelly
Nude & Natural 15.3
Do:
● Do get the word out. You need to distribute
flyers, post bulletins, take out ads in the student paper, and anything
else you can do to let people know that your group exists. This
is the most important step.
● Do register with your school as a bona fide
student group. At most colleges and universities you only need a
few registered students in your organization for it to be recognized by
the administration; at the University of Texas, for example, the
minimum is three. When registering, explain some of your
activities to the Student Organization office. For example, I let
them know ahead of time that we planned to hold clothing-optional
rallies at our free speech area, and they were fine with that.
However, each school is different, and may have more stringent
guidelines for registering a group, or prohibitions on what kind of
activities may be sanctioned. It's a good idea to check out your
school's policy first.
One benefit of registering is, of course, greater
exposure. I have had several people browse through the list of
student organizations, then call me for more information. Being
registered also gives you credibility; it establishes you as a
legitimate group composed of people who are sincere in their
organization's stated beliefs. At some schools, registered
student organizations are eligible for small amounts of grant money
that may be used for further promotion of the group and for its
activities.
● Do have a clear idea in mind of what your group's
goals and activities will be. My number was posted in the paper
and people began calling right away. I stumbled through a few
conversations before I fully thought out the direction in which I
wanted to take the club. It's best not to let that happen.
● Do look for support from established local
Naturist groups, if there are any in your area. I approached
Austin's Hill Country Nudists with my plans and they were more than
supportive with ideas, materials, contacts and even places to hold
meetings. If you can, establish a good rapport with other
Naturist groups. They are a great resource, and can also add to
your credibility.
● Do network with other college Naturist groups
nationwide. Contact their main representatives. They can
often provide you with great insight, experience and information;
remember, they have faced many of the same challenges and questions you
will be facing.
● Do network with other groups with whom you may
share common ground. I discovered that the Liberal Arts Council
at our school holds skinny-dipping parties regularly, so they were very
interested in our club. You may also find people of similar
interests in the art and drama departments, for example. These
are good places to post bulletins.
● Do plan special activities and events for your
club to be involved in. We thought of having art sessions with
the art department, clothing drives at local laundromats, and other
high-profile campus events. Being involved in community service
activities can help create a positive image for your club and add
members to your roster at the same time.
Don't:
● Don't go ahead with clothing-optional events on
campus without talking to the administration first. It's also a
good idea to be familiar with the local and state laws regarding public
nudity. In Austin, for example, it is legal for women to be
topfree, and nudity must be considered "lewd" for citations to be
issued. This is important; you don't want your first big event to
end in arrests and negative controversy.
● Don't let the media have the opportunity to
portray your group in a negative light. Inform the student and
perhaps local papers of upcoming activities, and invite them to
attend. Discuss in detail your club's philosophy and explain in
detail what the club (and Naturism in general, if necessary) is all
about. Provide them with newsletters, pamphlets or other
materials your club produces. If possible, invite them to an
event that is already likely to bring you positive exposure, like a
charity fund raiser.
● Don't rest on your laurels. Be aware from
the beginning that you are going to have to spend some time on this if
it is going to work. For example, I spent about two hours a week
on our newsletter, and planned our meetings in advance to maximize
their effectiveness. A club that is poorly structured or managed
sporadically can become disorganized faster than you can imagine, but...
● Don't overdo it; have fun. Don't
overstructure your group either. I have been involved with some
groups that spent way too much time dealing with officer elections and
appointments and other red tape. I have found that a senior
representative (the club "leader") can easily guide discussions and the
like with the rest of the members' input, and everyone can play a part
in directing the club's activities.
● Don't be afraid to get involved. I held back
for one or two semesters because I wasn't sure how my ideas would be
received. But once things got rolling I was really glad I took a
chance and started the group.
Students Go Starkers
(Nudist Club at University of Toronto)
Maclean's
April 26, 1999
Thomas Lundy will not be forgotten by the lifeguards
at the University of Toronto Athletic Centre anytime soon. Lundy,
26, an education student, started the first official naturist (nudist)
club on campus last September--actually the first approved naturist
club at any Canadian university. "I was pleasantly surprised at
how smoothly everything went," says Lundy, who organizes monthly nude
swims for the 100 members at the university pool. "Besides a
couple of guys who only came because they wanted to watch, everyone has
been very supportive."
When Lundy was eight years old, his family moved
from Toronto to Lahr, Germany, where they got into the naturist
lifestyle. When Lundy returned from Europe 13 years later, he
decided to import his clothes-free lifestyle to Canada. He has
since made it safe for University of Toronto students and faculty to
enjoy nude swimming and volleyball--"the most popular naturist
sport." Now, he has turned his attention to the famous European
Naturist Student Festival in Rotterdam, Holland, the largest nude event
of its kind in the world. Lundy and five members of the U of T
club are going to the festival in May--becoming the first Canadian
group to attend the gathering. "It is a complete nude village,"
says Lundy, describing the setting for the four-day event that attracts
more than 500 young people and includes activities such as music,
dancing and body painting. "And now we will be able to have a
Canadian team for the organized competitive sports." Nude curling
anyone?
FSU Campus Group Officially
Recognized
The Bulletin
March 2010
For just the sixth time in history, a North
American college has officially recognized a student nudist
organization. (The first four were California State
University at Northwood in the 1970s, the University of Pennsylvania,
the University of Texas at Austin,
and the University of Toronto in the 1990s. The last three groups
didn't last long.) Now Florida State University has recognized
Naturally FSU, a subsidiary of Tallahassee Naturally.
Richard
Bertram of our SIG serves as the faculty advisor.
Tallahassee Naturally has for decades maintained
about a 15% student membership--better than any other club is
doing. So why would they bother with a campus organization--given
the short-lived history of such groups, and the fact that Tallahassee
Naturally draws its students from three or four different
colleges? The answer is growing xenophobia on the FSU campus that
was making it impossible to let students know about nudist
opportunities. (The latest xenophobic manifestation is actual
barriers in the streets, preventing cars from getting within several
blocks of the library.) As reported in this newsletter, community
organizations or people with outside ideas are increasingly barred from
display tables, speaking opportunities, and bulletin board use. A
student nudist organization is probably not what bureaucrats had in
mind, but that is what their restrictive policies have produced.
So far, the news has not traveled through the entire bureaucracy; there
could be trouble yet.
There have been no problems at historically black
Florida A & M University, Tallahassee Community College, or nearby
Valdosta State University. Also nearby, tiny Thomas University
has always censored its student newspaper, so their students are
unaware of nudist opportunities in the area.
Some FSU professors see the new organization as
entirely appropriate. After all, the college streaking movement
of the 1970s largely began at Florida State.
Trevor Woods, a senior at FSU, seized the
initiative, and steered the new group through the bureaucratic
hurdles. His next job is to find a successor. That is where
previous student nudist organizations have faltered. But they did
not have the support of a thriving nudist group in the community.
The hope is that if and when a leadership vacuum occurs, Tallahassee
Naturally can step in and find new leadership. The model here is
FSU’s Center for Participant Education--the last survivor of the
“free universities” of the 70s. Several times, the
center has nearly collapsed during periods of weak leadership, but each
time, alumni and teachers of non-credit classes in the community have
stepped in to keep it going.
Naturally FSU’s constitution promises no
nudity on campus. Instead, the group will encourage participation
in Tallahassee Naturally’s student-oriented events: the annual
College Greek Athletic Meet, and monthly Full-Moon Skinny-Dips during
the warmer months. There have also been independent student-only
skinny-dipping excursions to sinkholes in the nearby national forest.
Naturally FSU brochure
2011
Naturally FSU
Naturally FSU is currently the only officially
recognized college nudist organization in the nation. It is part
of a long tradition. Other officially recognized groups have
flourished at:
California State
University at Northridge, 1973-c.83
University of Pennsylvania, 1994-c.98
University of Texas at Austin, 1995
University of Toronto, 1998-c.2000
Florida State University, 2009-
There have also been unofficial groups such as the
Hamilton College Varsity Streaking Team. And many colleges for
years had an annual streak, including the Naked Mile at the University
of Michigan and the so-called Nude Olympics at Princeton. Purdue,
Stanford, Holy Cross, Southern California, and countless other colleges
had similar traditions right up until recently. Rice still
does. And don't forget that the national college streaking fad of
the 1970s started pretty much at FSU. Lots of Tallahassee's
leading citizens cherish memories of those fine free days.
Naturally FSU does not streak, but organizes
participation in legal nude events in the Tallahassee area.
Naturism is about being natural in nature. It
is not about sex. Here is an opportunity to become comfortable
with yourself, and take pride in all that you are. Here is a
chance to find your place in nature, just as thousands of generations
have before you. Feel the sun and the wind tingling every hair on
your body. Discover true freedom. Find peace with yourself
and the world around you.
-----
Full-Moon Skinny-Dips
Naturally FSU is closely affiliated with Tallahassee
Naturally, the local nudist group with the largest percentage of
college students in the nation. They sponsor Full-Moon
Skinny-Dips during the warm months (usually April through
October). These events are free—just right for a student
budget.
Enjoy that all-American pastime: a skinny-dip at the
ole' swimmin' hole. Add to it the light of a full moon, a blazing
campfire, a marshmallow roast, mellow conversation, chirping of the
crickets, and the pine trees rustling overhead for a memorable evening
attuned to yourself and nature. A drum circle and/or overnight
camping are additional options.
Rides are available. A guide will meet you at
7:00 in the parking lot south of the FSU bookstore, or you can get
dates and directions to the lake on the Tallahassee Naturally web site.
Follow
Tallahassee Naturally on Facebook
For lots of
local information, go to:
www.tallahasseenaturally.org
For statewide
activities check out:
www.floridayoungnaturists.com
And for
general college nudity, visit
www.paullevalley.com/sig
-----
College Greek Athletic Meet
Each spring (usually late March), Tallahassee
Naturally sponsors the world's only authentically nude re-enactment of
the ancient pentathlon.
Join students from several colleges for a day of
authentic Greek athletics—nude just like 2500 years ago.
There are morning demonstrations and practice in the ancient methods,
then afternoon competition in the pentathlon (long jump, discus,
200-yard dash, javelin, and stand-up wrestling). Real athletes
and people who have never tried anything like this before compete in
separate divisions. There are men's and women's divisions.
The idea is to discover what it really felt like to be a student in
ancient Greece, where the goal was a well developed mind in a well
developed body—where students spent all year perfecting
themselves, then presented themselves naked before the gods as an act
of worship.
[Photo of participating athletes from several
colleges omitted here.]
-----
Other Local Nude Opportunities
Suntan Lake
Tallahassee Naturally rents a 40-acre woods with a
6-acre blue lake near Monticello (the next town to the east). It
is available every weekend year-round (from Friday noon till Sunday
evening). Sundays are almost always the bigger day. From
April through October, the last Sunday of the month is a picnic, so
bring food to share. Get that all-over tan without zapping
yourself. How about a game of naked volleyball or badminton or
frisbee? Or natural hiking and canoeing? It's a great place
to do homework or bring children. First visit free. Low
student rates.
Sinkhole Tour
The forests south of Tallahassee are honeycombed
with sinkholes—places with deep clear water where people have
skinny-dipped since the time of the Indians. Learn where the best
of them are, so you and your friends can go anytime you want.
Tallahassee Naturally sponsors at least one guided tour each summer.
Florida Young Naturists
This statewide organization sponsors large
college-age nude gatherings—often during breaks, and perhaps near
where you are spending your break.
Why wait?
Every year, college juniors and seniors finally get
up their nerve to try nude recreation. And they immediately kick
themselves for not doing it a couple of years sooner. Don't waste
this rare opportunity. Be free this year.
Campus Club
Embraces, Seeks Public Nudity
by Renée Jacques
FSView & Florida
Flambeau
Nov. 21, 2011
30 minutes outside of town, in Jefferson County, a
group of students enjoy a variety of activities at Suntan Lake.
They camp out, enjoy bonfires and spend some days picnicking and
playing games of volleyball. And they do all of this naked.
They are all members of an FSU club—Naturally
FSU. They hold activities for people who want to embrace a
“naturist lifestyle.”
Ron Georgalis, president of Naturally FSU and
anthropology major, said the idea of the club is based on a concept
that dates back to the 1900s and focuses on the idea of acceptance.
“Naturism is a philosophy that was first
developed and articulated in the early 20th century,” said
Georgalis. “What it refers to is a belief that human beings
should live in harmony with nature and should adopt an attitude towards
themselves, one another, the planet and the natural environment based
on respect and acceptance. It’s all about acceptance of
one’s own body, acceptance of other’s bodies, in whatever
form they happen to be, and seeing that as an integral part of the
natural world.”
Georgalis said one of the main concepts of the club
is to foster self-esteem among members, since there have been so many
conflicting and troubling “ideal” body image models
portrayed through media and in the fashion environment.
“You might say that the more practical purpose
of all of this is the very idea of acceptance of one’s own
body,” said Georgalis, “however it happens to look, as a
means toward the ultimate goal of enhanced self-esteem. We have
all of these idealized conceptions of what the ideal form should look
like, promoted by women’’s magazines and by the fashion
world.” Georgalis said these images can really alter the
way people see themselves. Naturally FSU hopes to help people see
the beauty in every human body.
“It really is quite criminal how so many of
these elements, especially through the media, brainwash people that
they need to conform to what constitutes beauty,” said
Georgalis. “We see ourselves as being a movement against
that. It is mean to be the antithesis of that.”
During the club’s season, from April to
October, one of the most popular events they host is the
“Full-Moon Skinny-Dip.” The most popular one had a
record attendance of 42 people in June. At the event, members
carpool to the lake where they swim, talk and gather around a
bonfire. Many students bring instruments and provide
entertainment. Georgalis said the “Full-Moon
Skinny-Dips” allow for another fundamental aspect of the
naturalist movement to take effect: connectedness with nature.
“It’s a love of the human body and
it’s a love of the planet,” said Georgalis.
“And you can say that that is based upon this deeply held
philosophical notion that the two make sense together, simply because
we are of the earth; so if you accept the body, then you are accepting
a natural creation.”
Georgalis said the lake provides the perfect
backdrop for recognizing such an appreciation.
“It’s a really good venue for
reinforcing that message,” said Georgalis. “Looking
up at the stars and being able to see shooting stars or being bathed in
the light of the full moon is really heavy and very thought
provoking. You feel very connected to the universe. You are
reminded that you are basically made of stardust.”
Another popular event is the Collegiate Nude
Olympics [College Greek Athletic Meet], held on the last weekend of
March. The event is a pentathlon, and participants engage in
competitions that mimic the original Olympics in Greece. They
dash barefoot, throw a javelin, a discus throw, a long jump and, if
needed, the tiebreaker is a wrestling match. The event is free to
all those who wish to participate.
Many students are intrigued by the ideals behind
Naturally FSU, but may feel reluctant and uncomfortable about their
first time being nude in public. Georgalis said the club tries
its very best to make newcomers feel very welcomed and not pressured
about having to remove their clothes.
“We try to make sure that anyone who is new
the lake is made to feel comfortable, that they are made to feel like
there are no consequences to not getting nude,” said
Georgalis. “Most of us have gone through the process and we
try to let them take it at their own pace. You are meant to feel
like you’re here at this beautiful lake and you are meant to
enjoy it and there’s no one barking at you to take off your
clothes.”
Georgalis said newcomers can take as long as they
need, as long as they show they are trying to embrace the
lifestyle. “Anybody who is new to the lake should not feel
too pressured, as long as they’re making some kind of
effort,” said Georgalis. “You just have to be willing
to experiment and step a little outside your comfort zone.”
Georgalis said Naturally FSU views clothing as a
restraint that creates barriers between people, and being nude allows
for a complete free and equal environment.
“Clothes serve as a boundary,” Georgalis
said. “They often connote social status and economic
status. People have been using clothes to differentiate ourselves
from one another since the dawn of civilization. The lack of
clothes is a profoundly egalitarian experience because everyone is
wearing one kind of suit: their birthday suit.”
Students Get
Naked in Nature
by Blair Stokes
FSView & Florida
Flambeau
July 19, 2012
At Suntan Lake, tan lines aren’t exactly an
issue for sunbathers. That’s probably because these
sunbathers are also naturists who enjoy the wilderness in an
unconventional, yet truly natural, way: nude. Suntan Lake is a
defining feature of the North Florida naturist haven of Tallahassee
Naturally (TN).
Founding member of TN and over 20 year veteran of
naturism, Paul LeValley clarifies the difference in naturism and nudism.
“Naturists are attuned to nature, and focus on
being at one with nature,” LeValley said. “This is
very much a back to nature club. There are fancy resorts that
call themselves nudists. So we fit the naturist definition a
little better.”
Florida State U. boasts the only collegiate naturist
club in the nation, aptly named Naturally FSU. The club is likely
known best for its full-moon skinny-dips in Suntan Lake during the
warmer months, which attract many curious college students.
Naturally FSU derives its name from its parent organization,
Tallahassee Naturally, which is the local naturist community founded in
the ’80s.
Ron Georgalis, a graduate student studying
anthropology and the president of Naturally FSU, spoke of the intrinsic
connection between Naturally FSU and TN.
“Membership overlaps and the two organizations
are not mutually exclusive in any way,” Georgalis said.
“Tallahassee Naturally is the community group, and we’re an
arm of Tallahassee Naturally. We are independent, but we also use
the property that they rent and have events together.”
Bonding over the common exhilaration of returning to
nature in its most literal sense, TN members of the North Florida-South
Georgia naturist community gathered on Sunday, July 15 to celebrate
National Nude Weekend during which the organization hosts their annual
Open House.
The Open House event intentionally had staggered
degrees of dress: from 10 to 11 a.m., all participants were clothed,
between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., clothing was optional and from 1 to 4 p.m.,
the dress code changed to completely nude.
Anyone was welcome to attend the Open House;
however, the event was specifically designed to give TN members the
opportunity to speak to candidates running for public office.
(The politicians did not stay after 11 a.m., which is when the
clothing-optional dress code took effect.) While tan lines
aren’t a concern for the naturist set, matters of privacy and
freedoms are.
TN’s Paul LeValley, who is the Chair of the
Political Committee, extended invitations to several candidates,
including Mark Schlakman. Schlakman is the Democratic candidate
for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District, who also holds the
position of senior program director of the Center for the Advancement
of Human Rights at FSU.
Schlakman’s expertise in the areas of politics
and human rights made him the ideal guest for an organization so
concerned with legal free expression.
“I respect the issues here,” Schlakman
said. “Being at the Center for the Advancement of Human
Rights at FSU, the issues here resonate in terms of privacy interests
and exercising their freedoms, rights, and liberties without
encroaching upon others.”
Located about 30 miles east of Tallahassee in
Jefferson County, TN rents a 40-acre plot of wooded, secluded land
(which includes a private lake) where naturists are free to be
comfortably nude while avoiding voyeurs and the public eye. The
organizations are considerate of others in that TN and Naturally FSU go
30 miles or more out of their way not to offend the public.
“I think that appropriate notice and
discretion are important,” Schlakman said.
“It’s not that people are trying to foist their preferences
upon anyone else. It’s just to freely exercise rights while
providing appropriate notice so that people aren’t
offended. It makes perfect sense.”
Open House is one of Tallahassee Naturally’s
clothed events, but Georgalis oversees two nude events that college
students are encouraged to participate in. The first is the
Full-Moon Skinny-Dip which is usually scheduled for the Friday nearest
the full moon from months April to October. Students can take a
shuttle out to Suntan Lake at 7 p.m. and take a dip in the lake’s
blue waters in the light of the moon.
The second event Georgalis described was the ancient
pentathlon, which is based on the original Greek Olympic Games.
It closely resembles what the games would have actually been like
because all contestants and even spectators must be fully nude to
participate. TN’s pentathlon events include javelin,
discus, 200-meter dash, long-jump, and others. Men and women
compete separately and according to age and skill-level.
The games promote sportsmanship and Georgalis
encourages FSU students to experience the good-natured atmosphere for
themselves.
“There’s something primally gratifying
about [naturism],” Georgalis said. “I think everybody
should experience something wild and unruly every now and then.”
Naturally
FSU Presents Film Re-enactment of Greek Pentathlon
Naturist groups present classic athleticism with
less clothing
by Lindsay Marshall
FSView & Florida Flambeau
Sept. 17, 2012
On Friday, Sept. 21, in
the Student Union, Tallahassee Naturally and Naturally FSU will
premiere their film, College Greek Athletic Meet, a collection of home
videos of the past 17 years of the organizations’ re-enactment of
the ancient Greek pentathlon.
Tallahassee Naturally and Naturally FSU are both
naturist organizations in Tallahassee, with aims of creating awareness
of the naturist lifestyle.
“The way the Olympics were held in ancient
Greece was nude,” Naturally FSU President Ron Georgalis
said. “The original athletes competed completely
nude.”
FSU is the only university in the country with a
naturist club. Naturism is not simply nudism, but rather the act
of being in nature in the body’s most organic state.
“Nudism is just the pursuit of being
naked,” said Georgalis. “That’s not what
we’re about. Being a naturist is more about nature.
It’s a communion with nature, a oneness with the natural
world. It’s a liberating experience. It’s also
about body acceptance. Everyone should be comfortable in their
own skin.”
The pentathlon occurs in the spring, usually in
April, near Monticello, Fla., about 30 miles away from Tallahassee.
“Anyone of any age can compete,”
Tallahassee Naturally President Paul LeValley said. “But
the winners are the top college students in each category.”
Participants compete in the long jump, discus,
200-yard dash, javelin, and in the case of a tie, light
wrestling. Categories are broken down into male athletes, male
non-athletes, female athletes and female non-athletes.
“We have a lot of diversity,” said
Georgalis. “People of different races, different regional
backgrounds, different sexual orientations, different native
languages. It’s a celebration of the human body in all of
its form. We have obese people, skinny people, people with
surgical scars and people in great physical shape who could be
underwear models.”
The film's aim is to promote the competition and the
organizations on FSU's campus.
“We want to further our mission to promote
awareness of local naturist opportunities," said Georgalis. "And
to promote interest. In most cases, they’re already
interested, but didn’t know about it.”
College Greek Athletic Meet is a compilation of
years of footage from past competitions, but was produced to appear as
if it happened in one day. The film focuses on the younger
athletes, students and non-students alike.
For a first-time naturist, it may be a little
nerve-wracking to go nude.
“Some of the women are a little bit nervous,
so they have to be reassured it’s not a sexual
environment,” said Georgalis. “It’s a safe
place, and they don’t have to worry about that.”
Georgalis describes naturism as being a social
experience, while giving people an escape from the toils of daily
life. Along with the athletic aspect of the pentathlon, College
Greek Athletic Meet incorporates good sportsmanship, health and
physical achievement.
“It’s the beauty of athleticism, and
beauty of nudism,” said Georgalis. “What could be
more beautiful?”
Naturally FSU
Offers Nudist Way of Life
by Christopher Wilkinson
FSView & Florida Flambeau
October 4, 2016
[This reporter did
all of his research by e-mail, and never realized Adrienne Yancey is a
black man.]
FSU is full of hidden gems that only the savviest
students are keen to.
Whether it be a particular parking area on campus,
the best place to quietly study or a club strategically hidden right
out in the open, these connections bind us together as explorers of all
that FSU has to offer.
One of FSU’s clubs that boasts varying degrees
of awareness of is Naturally FSU, a club that practices and celebrates
nudism. Due to the somewhat unusual nature of a club that holds
monthly skinny-dipping events and the apprehension most feel about
being naked with others, it takes a lot of bravery to try, but could
become one’s newest way to naturally relax.
“To be a nudist is how life was meant to
be,” says current club president and FSU grad student Adrienne
Yancey. “Many people in the club choose this lifestyle
simply because it is the one place that is simply forever at
peace. Without the boundaries of clothes, there is no need to
compare or compete with one another, simply natural beauty at its
finest—free of judgment. Individuals of all shapes and
sizes come out, so it truly is an environment where one can feel at
ease and free of the normal societal issues. We were born naked
and it is simply a freeing and liberating experience.”
Many misconceptions litter the public eye about what
a club based around nudism entails, but in actuality the club has the
best intentions about enjoying natural beauty.
“As I have commonly experienced over the years
in promoting this club and lifestyle, people often think it is some
sort of orgy or sexual club,” said Yancey.
“It’s actually the furthest from that. It's a place
where one can come and just be at one with nature, their surroundings
and the very friends they may choose to embark upon this journey
with.”
The club’s central mission is to be an
inclusive organization for the development of friendship through a
shared interest, just like any other club. It just takes a little
bit more of a step out of your comfort zone, but according to Yancey,
that step forward is well worth it.
“Back in undergrad I routinely enjoyed
skinny-dipping with friends and never really was into wearing
clothes. When I moved up to Tallahassee for grad school, after
conducting some research on clubs to join, Naturally FSU popped up and
I immediately became intrigued and wanted to inquire a bit more about
the organization,” said Yancey.
"After I learned of this, I immediately told
everyone I could about the club and started regularly attending.
Here I am two years later, the President of this fine organization,
happier than ever that I had made the initial decision to step out on a
limb and take a leap of faith.”
Yancey believes her involvement to be one of the
greatest decisions she has ever made and is excited for anyone else
that decides to embark upon this wonderful journey with her.
Once you remove the misconceptions and stereotypes
surrounding nudism, it becomes possible to see this club in a whole new
light. Naturally FSU is one organization that supports the idea
of expanding your comfort zone by stepping out of it.
-----
In 2016, Naturally FSU lost their faculty
sponsor, and thus their official recognition. The group continued
to function for another year, until Tallahassee Naturally lost the land
they had been renting. They have since bought new land.
2020 was supposed to be the year of reviving the College Greek
Athletic Meet, building a pool, and resuming the Full-Moon Skinny-Dips.
The coronavirus and sending most students home has put those
plans on hold.