Who is RUPISS? and Why is Public Urination a Trend on TikTok?

By: Lacey Banks

A new trend has been going around social media where college students are urinating or at least pretending to, on landmarks around their campuses. Many Virginia colleges such as Radford, Virginia Tech, and James Madion all have their own “pisser.”

The account named “the.ru.pisser” known on TikTok as RUPISS has hit many locations such as the McConnell Library, Cook Hall, and on Moffett Lawn. Their first post at McConnell Library has around 97k views and the comments are a mix of students’ disgust, but also suggestions of where the creator should film next. Their most recent video was posted on September 9th, meaning they are still active and could strike again.

The trend has also reached local areas such as Roanoke, where “The Roanoke Pisser” on TikTok has recently posted a video on September 10th. 

While these videos may seem like harmless jokes, in Radford Virginia, public urination is prohibited under the city’s ordinances. Chapter 70, Section 70-41 of the Radford Code of Ordinances addresses urination or defecation in public places. Additionally, under Virginia state law, public urination can be charged as “indecent exposure” under § 18.2-387 of the Code of Virginia. This offense is classified as a Class 1 misdemeanor, which may result in a fine and/or imprisonment.

It is not clear if the individuals in these videos are actually urinating, or using a prop such as a bottle of water or apple juice.

The only question left is; “Where will RUPISS strike next?”