The Salute to the Sun: Just before dawn on Friday, January 18, a parade of University of Chicago students, faculty and staff will march from the University’s Henry Crown Field House to the South Side’s Promontory Point at 5491 South Shore Dr., near the eastern end of 55th Street in Hyde Park. Around 6 a.m., the group will attempt to “coax” the sun to rise.
The Polar Bear Run: To mark the annual tradition, hundreds of scantily clad — and completely unclad — Chicago students will dash together across the University’s Main Quadrangle, located at the intersection of University Avenue and 58th Street. The run will begin around 3:30 p.m. and will be followed by a celebratory bonfire.
In its 26th year at the University, Kuviasungnerk, an annual celebration of winter, will be held on campus beginning Monday, January 14. Activities include calisthenics led by University deans, ice sculpting, a dance marathon and ice skating. The best is saved for last; the Polar Bear Run is the week’s grand finale. Kuviasungnerk, an Eskimo word that means “happy times,” is an attempt to cure any winter blues.
Additional information and a complete schedule of the week’s events are available at http://coup.uchicago.edu.
—Prof. Chuan He
