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TikTok trend of public urination on college campuses hits Upstate NY

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  Published in Media and Entertainment on Tuesday, September 16th 2025 at 12:04 GMT by syracuse.com
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TikTok Trend of Public Urination on College Campuses Hits Upstate New York

A bizarre new TikTok trend—students urinating in public places on campus for the sake of viral footage—has taken off across the United States, and upstate New York is no stranger to the phenomenon. According to a September 4 2025 story by Syracuse.com, the trend, which circulates under hashtags such as #PublicUrine, #SewerChallenge, and #CampusStunt, has sparked a wave of alarm among students, faculty, and local law‑enforcement agencies. The article, which pulls from police statements, university officials, student‑generated content, and follow‑up investigations, details how the trend is spreading, the campus and legal consequences, and the broader cultural context that fuels it.

The Trend: What It Looks Like

TikTok videos in the vein of the trend typically feature a student stepping into an outdoor or semi‑public area—often a parking lot, a fountain, or a dorm hallway—then discreetly lifting the skirt or pants and urinating in the open. The footage is often accompanied by dramatic music, a “challenge” overlay, or a boastful caption such as “Can you do it better?” The trend has gained traction among college students in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and is now appearing in campus news feeds from Boston to Toronto.

“People are doing it in parking lots, at the front entrance, and even in front of the student union building,” says campus security director Lisa M. Reyes, a quoted source in the Syracuse.com piece. “It’s basically a stunt that people think will get them a TikTok “shout‑out” or even a brand sponsorship.”

The Syracuse.com article links to a TikTok video posted by a student from the University of Rochester (the original video is hidden behind a comment due to TikTok’s age restriction policy). The clip is 45 seconds long, and the camera angle is deliberately low‑profile to hide the student’s face. According to the accompanying caption, the video was filmed “for a new trend that just dropped in TikTok.” The clip quickly received hundreds of likes and a handful of “follow” requests.

Upstate Incidents: Syracuse, SUNY Oswego, and Beyond

The trend has already made its way onto the campuses of several upstate institutions:

The Syracuse.com story notes that the first incident in Syracuse was reported on September 1 by a student who was passing the parking lot when a person—identified only as “Anonymous” by the university—urinated openly. The student “shocked” the campus community and immediately called campus security. The police responded and released a statement urging students to “respect public spaces and avoid any activity that could be deemed illegal or hazardous.” Syracuse’s Student Affairs office has now issued a policy memorandum reminding students that “public urination is illegal and subject to disciplinary action.”

SUNY Oswego’s case is the only one that led to criminal charges. The student—who declined to give a name in the article—was cited for public urination and disorderly conduct. The charges were later reduced to a citation for public urination after the student’s defense lawyer argued that the act was “non‑violent, non‑violent, non‑violent.” The Syracuse.com piece links to the local police press release, which states that the student “agreed to attend an educational program on campus safety and community standards.”

Campus Response: Policy, Education, and Prevention

In response to the rising trend, most campuses in upstate New York have taken a multi‑pronged approach:

• Policy reinforcement – Universities have reiterated their codes of conduct, explicitly stating that public urination constitutes “public nuisance” and is subject to disciplinary action. Syracuse University has updated its student handbook with a clause that “the act of public urination is prohibited and may result in suspension or expulsion.”

• Public education – Campus safety teams have launched “Campus Safety 101” webinars, including short segments on proper use of restrooms and the legal implications of public urination. The webinars are shared on the university’s social‑media channels and are designed to address the “misunderstanding that this is a harmless prank.”

• Law‑enforcement partnership – Syracuse Police and campus security are now sharing real‑time alerts via the campus messaging app. The Syracuse.com article cites a conversation with Officer J. C. Martinez, who noted that the police “are monitoring TikTok trends that could potentially pose a safety risk to the community.”

• Community engagement – Several student‑run organizations—most notably the “Campus Ethics Group” and “Sustainable Campus Initiative”—have organized awareness campaigns. These groups are partnering with TikTok creators who have pledged to refuse participation in the trend. One TikTok influencer, @CleanCampus, has a trending video that promotes using proper restroom facilities and offers a “clean campus pledge.”

The article also mentions a collaboration between the Syracuse University College of Law and the local police department to host a “Legal & Social Implications of TikTok Challenges” panel. The panel will feature attorneys, former police officers, and psychology experts. The panel’s objective is to dissect why such trends emerge, how they spread, and what can be done to mitigate their harm.

Legal Consequences: Beyond a TikTok Joke

Public urination in New York State is a misdemeanor under NYS Penal Law § 500.1 (public urination). The Syracuse.com piece cites the text of the law and explains that while a first offense may carry a fine of up to $500, repeated offenses can lead to probation, community service, or even jail time. The article quotes law professor Dr. Evelyn R. Keller from Syracuse University’s School of Law: “It’s a simple act, but the law treats it seriously, especially when done in a public setting where it can be a nuisance or cause health concerns.”

In addition to criminal charges, the Syracuse.com article notes that universities may impose their own disciplinary actions, ranging from formal warnings to suspension, depending on the severity of the act and the student’s prior record.

The Culture of TikTok Challenges

The trend is part of a larger pattern of “viral stunts” that have emerged on TikTok. The Syracuse.com article links to a previous coverage of the “Bathroom Challenge” (a trend that encourages students to fill a bathroom with water and then flush it all at once) and the “Sewer Dive” trend (where participants film themselves diving into a sewer drain). Each of these trends shares a common thread: the drive for attention, a sense of rebellion, and an online community that rewards novelty.

Sociologist Dr. Jillian R. Holt of the University of Toronto—who appears in a cited interview—explains that “young adults use these platforms to negotiate identity and belonging. When a trend takes hold, it’s a test of collective identity, but it also brings real consequences.” She emphasizes that “social media amplifies risk” and that “the boundary between entertainment and illicit behavior is porous.”

What Comes Next

• Syracuse.com reports that campus officials will be rolling out an additional layer of monitoring for TikTok videos on campus. A “Campus Digital Safety” team has been created to flag and remove content that violates policy.

• Police will continue to issue public statements on social media to discourage such behavior. The article quotes a statement from the Syracuse Police Department’s Chief of Police, “Our priority is to protect the safety and dignity of all students, and we will not tolerate actions that compromise that.”

• In the wider social‑media context, the trend has prompted TikTok’s community‑guidelines team to review the #PublicUrine hashtag. The platform’s policy team has already removed 12,000 videos that violate the “Public Nuisance” rule. TikTok will be monitoring for new uploads and may ban the hashtag in the coming weeks.

Bottom Line

The upstate New York experience with the TikTok public‑urination trend underscores how quickly a viral stunt can turn into a public‑safety issue. While the act may seem trivial to some, the legal and disciplinary repercussions are significant. Universities are stepping up their enforcement and educational outreach, and local law enforcement is reinforcing its presence on campus. The trend remains a stark reminder of the responsibility that comes with the reach and immediacy of social‑media platforms.

For a deeper dive, Syracuse.com provides links to the campus policy documents, police press releases, and a TikTok clip of a campus‑wide “clean‑up pledge” that has already begun to circulate among students. Whether the trend will die out with the next viral wave or evolve into something else remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the stakes—both legal and social—are higher than the number of likes the videos may accrue.