GV lacks Halloween activities for students
Every October, Texas A&M’s Kappa Sigma chapter begins preparation on their Wicked Woods Haunted Trail. Over 4,000 people take part in the five-acre hike through backwoods, voluntarily getting spooked for around twenty minutes.
In Athens, Ohio, right behind Ohio University’s campus, over 20,000 students gather to celebrate Halloween. This massive gathering usually features a costume competition, art vendors, food and live music.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology holds their annual pumpkin drop days before Halloween. Students gather outside of the campus’ Green Building, which is 295 feet high. Participants are required to predict which pumpkin will create the largest splash using scientific equations and calculations.
Not every college has traditions like the examples above, but most have some sort of celebration focused on Halloween. Grand View University, however, seems to go quiet around this time of the year. GV occasionally has a Halloween movie event, or exclusive dorm parties, but aside from that, the school has failed to bring the campus together in a more impactful way.
Kyle Boulanger, the Vice President of student life at Grand View weighed in on the situation.
“I think it’s because it just isn’t that big of a holiday, we could do something focused on Halloween, but it really hasn’t been a discussion yet,” Boulanger said.
Keaton Schlatter, the President of the Student Activities Council says the focus is elsewhere this year.
“As college kids, it’s hard to get people to buy into things, especially when there is no alcohol involved,” Schlatter said.
Student leadership teams are not allowed to provide alcohol to students for on campus events. Halloween fell on a Monday this year, making it difficult to get the student body involved.
“Last year it was on a Saturday so the Halloween tailgate at the home football game was a big hit, people actually dressed up and came to the event,” Schlatter said. “We were going to try to do something a little more fun, but things got a little crazy because we have bigger events planned later on this year.”
Several students showed interest in more Halloween based festivities.
“I would love to participate in a costume contest or do something that brings the campus together for Halloween. It’s an awesome holiday,” said Clay Siefken, a sophomore.
Sophomore Mason Bulman also mentioned he would welcome new Halloween traditions on campus.
“If we had a big Halloween party I would definitely be there,” Bulman said.
Although Grand View has put forth an effort to increase Halloween activities, it is difficult to bring the whole campus together. Now that Halloween has come and passed, we will have to wait until next year to see what kind of steps Grand View takes to increase the festivities based around Halloween time.
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