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Sunday, July 28, 1996

Summer sun draws flocks of sunbathers and other warm-weather worshippers outdoorsBy Karen Duryea

Summer Bruin Senior Staff

Grab your towels and sunscreen, because it's sunbathing weather at UCLA.

Sunset Recreation, The Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden, and Meyerhoff Park are just some of the popular areas for non-hibernating Bruins to catch some rays and maybe attempt to study.

Although some opt for the shade, Bruins can be found all over campus taking advantage of the warm weather and, at times, baring it under the sun.

"I'm just catching a little sun after class," said Carter Fisk, a fourth-year biology student who laid out in Meyerhoff Park.

Like some students, who are approaching finals of Summer Session A, Fisk brought out a book to study so that sunbathing would serve a dual purpose. However, his intentions failed as he lay on his back, his book open and unread beside him.

"I've read about a page or two," Fisk confesses.

But Bruins aren't the only ones who know where to get some fresh air. According to Sgt. James Vandenberg of the University Police, staff and faculty have found some creative spots to keep from being cooped up in the summer.

Employees set up camp on top of the medical center complex as well as the Factor building, the tallest on campus. The view from atop the building places viewers eye-level with Westwood high-rises such as the Oppenheimer Tower, as well as the Santa Monica Mountains.

"Some had authorization to come out there during their lunch hour," Vandenberg said. He also recalls finding students sunbathing on the top of the residence halls and on the hoods of their cars atop the parking structures in the past few years.

Vandenberg said the university holds few regulations for sunbathing, stating that people "cannot go in an area that will interfere with the business of the university," such as impeding traffic. And, more specifically, "no nude sunbathing allowed."

California Penal Code section 314 states that "lewd" nudity is a misdemeanor and a second offense is a felony.

However, a group called the Western Sunbathing Association, Inc. (WSA) an organization for nude recreation, provides information about clothing-optional events and resorts.

"Presently, there are no nude beaches in Los Angeles County," said a representative of the WSA. "However, the courts have held that simple nudity is not obscene or lewd, so mere sunbathing in the nude is not illegal.

"The known nude beaches are usually separated from the 'textile' ones, so when the majority of the users do not object to nudity, there is no legal problem."

The "Cahill Policy," implemented after an appeal to a court case concerning nudity in 1988, states that rangers will not cite people for nudity on public lands unless another citizen complains, and no citations are given if the nudists put on their clothes when asked.

Elysium Fields in Topanga is the closest WSA club to UCLA. WSA representatives say that their nude beaches attract a "cross-section of the population. There will be singles, families, young couples, elderly persons and ... college students when there is a nearby college or university."

A few students from other UC campuses choose the "birthday suit" lifestyle. Black's Beach, a nude beach near San Diego, is frequented by students from UCSD, said WSA representatives.

In 1992, Andrew Martinez, better known as "the naked guy" who walked around the UC Berkeley campus in the nude, was eventually expelled for his choice of dress. His decision to be a student in the buff caused the Berkeley City Council to pass an ordinance that prohibits public nudity.