Update: GVSU students protest removal of sculpture used in nude parody of Miley Cyrus 'Wrecking Ball' video

ALLENDALE, MI - Miley Cyrus' video for her single, "Wrecking Ball," has garnered millions of views, with music fans across the nation tuning in to see the pop star smash concrete with a sledge hammer and swing nude from a large, metal ball.

Apparently, students at Grand Valley State University have also taken notice.

They’ve been mimicking the video, using a campus sculpture that closely resembles the wrecking ball Cyrus swings from in her video. At least one student photographed himself doing so in the nude.

But on Tuesday morning, administrators at GVSU removed the sculpture from campus, fearing it may not be stable enough to handle the extra weight students were exerting upon it.

“We really do need to verify the structural integrity right now, and consider the safety ramifications and look whether there’s a better way to install it,” said Tim Thimmesch, associate vice president of facilities services.

The steel ball, which hangs from about 50-feet of steel cable, had been in place outside the Seymour and Esther Padnos Hall of Science for the past 18 years, he said. It was taken to a storage unit off campus.

Students have always attempted to swing from the sculpture, but there's been a significant increase this year because of the video. Students have even created a Twitter account dedicated to the sculpture, simply entitling it "GVSU Wrecking Ball."

In addition, GVSU students have also apparently created a parody of the Cyrus video, filming images of themselves swinging nude to the Cyrus’ hit song.

Thimmesch said he recognizes the participants are simply “college students being college students,” but safety does remain his first concern.

“It’s given us a few chuckles,” he said.

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