Halloween, the time of year when the sun goes sets earlier and it starts to get cold. The one night every year that people can wear costumes, no matter what they are, knock door-to-door and get free candy. People around campus have their own view on Halloween.

“It’s the most exciting ‘holiday’ for me because I get to dress up, and pretend to be someone else,” Jazmin Orellana, art education junior, said.

Shaniece Dutch, sociology senior, said, “My favorite part of Halloween is dressing up and eating a lot of candy.”

“[Halloween’s] certainly fun for people to let their hair down, cut loose a little bit and get into the spirit of the holiday ,” Patrick Coggins, chief of police, said.

Coggins said the biggest concern with halloween is the trick -or-treat aspect.

“Some of the rational safety tips we normally give to trick or treaters would still apply to students,” Coggins said.

During Halloween residence life will be hosting different events. Traditonaly housing hosts the YMCA day-care to come over to Killingsworth and trick-or-treat throughout the hall. Residence Hall Associtation will have a pumpkin carving contest which they are working on with Chartwells.

According to Kristi Schulte, director of residence life and housing, the housing office has ‘Holiday Decorating Guidelines,’ listed below, that students are to follow for the safety of themselves and others.

“Really the decorating guidelines follow what I like to call a relatively common sense approach,” Schulte said.

According to Schulte, residence life officials want students to have a lot of fun, but at the same time to pay attention to safety.

“There is certainly the celebration Halloween and there are certainly college age students who celebrate Halloween,” Coggins said. “Those, tend to be more in party or a centrally located party or event style celebrations rather than the trick or treat aspect, which of course is the biggest safety concern.”

Schulte believes Halloween can be a fun time for students to show creativity. She also believes Halloween is always interesting.

“We want students to have a great time with Halloween festivities,” Schulte said.

Coggins said he understands students will be traversing both the campus and streets at night, and wants students to be safe by being aware of surroundings.

“Part of living in a community means that you are aware of not only how your choices and  actions can impact yourself, but also thinking about how others in the community might be affected,” Schulte said.

“I did my graduate work in Michigan and so that’s always kind of been a fun time to be in the midwest, or the upper midwest,” Schulte said. “I have always liked the fall holidays, Halloween can be fun.”

Schulte said that she liked Halloween and fall is her favorite season.

“I personally will not dress up, others in our office are working on their costumes and we were trying them out earlier this week,” Schulte said.

MSU Police department suggests not:

Wearing masks that restrict visibility

Wearing dark and low visibility clothing

Wearing costumes that will restrict movement

Wearing costumes that are fire retardant

Having illegal weapons as props

Residence Life Holiday Decorating Guidlines:

Safety in the residence halls is the primary concern of all Residence Life and Housing staff.

• Decorations should not cause permanent damage to walls, carpet and/or ceiling; students should refer to their Hall Director for specific guidelines about decorations hung outside of individual student rooms.
• Candles are prohibited.
• Live trees and greenery are prohibited.
• Combustible materials are prohibited e.g., corn stalks or shucks, cotton or confetti, dry moss or leaves, hay or straw, paper streamers, saw dust or wood shavings, tree branches and leaves.
• Electrical cords (primary and extension) must not pass through walls, floors, or above suspended ceilings.
• Electrical cords (primary and extension) cannot be beneath carpets or across corridors or fire escapes.
• Electric lights should be in good condition and have a UL listing label. The lights should be rated for indoor use and utilize “cool bulbs.” All lights should be turned off and unplugged when the area is unattended or the occupants are asleep.
• Multi plug adapters are prohibited. A power strip with a fuse or integral circuit breaker must be used when extra outlets are needed.
• Decorations must be kept away from exit signs, fire alarm devices and fire extinguishers; emergency and normal use lighting must not be obstructed in any way.
• Decorations or furnishings must not constrict or obstruct corridors, exits or stairwells.
• Extension cords are for temporary use only. The cords must be UL listed and be a minimum of 16 gauge wire. Extension cords cannot be plugged into each other. Extension cords should not be placed in areas where as to constitute a tripping hazard.
• Decorations in hallways, on walls and on doors are not allowed to cover the entire surface. Door coverings are not to exceed 30 percent of the surface or two by two feet in size.

First five things you think of when you hear Halloween:

Orellana | Candy, pumpkins, costumes, cold, alcohol

Dutch | Candy, Costumes, Decorations, Scary activities, Make sure candy is not poison

Amanda Carlson, business management sophomore | Haunted, eerie, mysterious, pumpkin, spooky