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Certainly among the
most publicized and reported student naturist
groups is the Naturist Student Association at the
University of Pennsylvania.
Nude Student
Association began in 1993 after Gons Nachman, then a
first-year student at Penn Law School, staged a
nude demonstration in defense and demonstration of
freedom of expression for the school's First
Amendment Day. Naturist philosophy and materials
like TNS' World Guide to Nude Beaches were
among the tools Nachman used in his presentation.
He formed the naturist group the following
semester as an expansion of the ideals espoused on
the law school steps that day. Nachman's
demonstration is reported in N 12.4, p. 96.
The group's first major campus event, a nude
outdoor rally on Penn's College Green, occurred in
May 1994 as a show of support for naturism and
freedom of expression on campus. Ten participating
club members handed out literature, showed
naturist videos, demonstrated body painting and
spoke. Hundreds of Penn students, faculty,
administrators and local media folks witnessed the
celebration, which was entirely peaceful and
considered a great success (see N13.4, p.
102).
Members of Nude Student Association then held an outdoor nude
modeling session for Penn art students in
September 1994--and a second "Spring Celebration"
in May 1995 to promote the group, gaining
further publicity on- and off-campus.
"The local media covered [the celebration] in a
non-sensationalist and fair manner," Nachman
reports. "By holding this spring outdoor event for
the second year in a row in a non-disruptive
fashion, we have also managed to create a solid
precedent that would be difficult [for campus
administration] to eliminate in the future. The
university has basically accepted our existence
and our activities without any kind of challenge
or disruption," Nachman said.
In addition to the annual rallies Nude Student
Association holds
weekly clothing-optional study hours, conducts
monthly meetings, and sponsors social events for
its members. The group managed to secure a place
on campus for clothing-optional sunbathing for the
summer and continues to work towards getting hours
set aside for clothing-optional open swims in one
of Penn's pools--"Although the initial response
from the director of recreation was a resounding
'no,' we will address his concerns and if
necessary appeal to higher levels of authority," Nachman says.
Group members have also contacted state
legislators to express disagreement with proposed
HB 940, a bill that seeks to outlaw public nudity
in Pennsylvania.
After receiving honors as "most memorable student"
of his graduating class for his naturist work,
Nachman left Penn to join the real world after
graduation Last may. Nude Student Association continues to operate
under the leadership of Penn grad student Philip Tromovitch (though Nachman remains the primary
contact).
As one of the more well-established student
naturist clubs in the country, Nude Student
Association can serve
well as a model for similar groups. Their contact
information may be found at the end of this
article.
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