By Olivia Bousquet
Positive COVID-19 cases are continually increasing at SUNY Plattsburgh. As Halloween approaches, concerns have come into play for how college students will partake in Halloween festivities.
The weekend-long party for Halloween will be a grim comparison from last year’s “Hall-O-Weekend” due to the pandemic. However, students are staying optimistic by coming up with new, safe ideas to still celebrate the holiday.
For incoming students, this is their first year to experience the drunken craze of Halloween weekend. Spooky stories have been told around campus of previous Halloween nights, where students dress up in glamorous costumes, puke on lawns or in Pizza Bono’s bathrooms, and later pass out over the toilet.
Imagine three spooky nights of drunk college students, drinking their liver away as they travel from party to party. Will the freshman this year try for a similar experience amidst the pandemic?
“I wasn’t going to do anything because of the pandemic. Obviously I wish I could experience my first Halloween in college, but I can’t. I’m going to stay in because I don’t want to get COVID – it just kind of sucks overall,” SUNY Plattsburgh freshman Shannon Fitzpatrick said. “But I’m a freshman, so I have my whole Plattsburgh life ahead of me. I have a lot of Halloweens to experience, so I’m really not worried about it. I’m really trying to make the best out of everything.”
Fitzpatrick is currently rushing Delta Phi Epsilon, so she can’t party with the sisters under the Greek Life office’s policies. However, she doesn’t know of any current plans for the sorority’s Halloween, except for staying safe. Instead, Fitzpatrick is staying in with her roommates to watch Halloween movies and eat candy. She said they may even dress up for the night, but she sees that as a waste of money.
While freshmen have plenty of time for future Halloween endeavors in the coming years on campus, the upper-classmen are near the end of the road — especially for seniors who need to make the best of their final SUNY Plattsburgh Halloween.
“Not being able to celebrate Halloween my last year sucks, but at the same time it’s probably for the best considering – especially around here – the rising number of COVID cases. I’d rather be safe than sorry,” SUNY Plattsburgh senior Michelle Simmons said. “My lovely roommates and I will be staying inside. We’re going to get some pumpkins and paint them. Then, we’re going to put them out on the front porch. We’ll be watching Halloween-themed movies all night and making Halloween-themed drinks.”
For those new to Halloween on campus, be safe and don’t put others at risk, said Simmons. Simmons understands the frustration behind having a low-key Halloween, but with the right mindset, everyone can make the most out of a pandemic Halloween. Just try to make the best of an unfortunate situation.
Other students are also getting creative for the Halloween weekend by finding new ways to have fun, but still staying out of the party scene.
“I don’t feel like I’m missing out since I’m still going to dress up, hang out with my roommates, and stay home. But one of the nights we’re going to my roommate’s family’s house, because they put on a haunted house and decorate,” SUNY Plattsburgh junior Meghan O’Brien said. “One of the nights me, Hunter and Abby are going to be Mr. Clean. Then the next night, me and Hunter are being JWoww and Snooki, because our freshman year we watched Jersey Shore together.”
O’Brien is being realistic that students, both freshmen and upper-classmen, are going to party. Despite a pandemic spike hitting SUNY Plattsburgh campus, students want to have a fun time. It will be concerning to see if the positive number of cases will rise further after Halloween weekend.
Partying for one weekend will not be worth getting sent home a week later from a large number of positive cases.
Partying is not the only option to have fun on Halloween. Greek life organizations typically have social events such as parties or mixers with one another; however, there is none being permitted currently by SUNY Plattsburgh. Sororities and fraternities are going to need to find new outlets to celebrate. The sisters of Sigma Delta Tau are planning on a simple weekend with each other.
O’Brien is being realistic that students, both freshmen and upperclassman, are going to party. Despite a pandemic spike hitting SUNY Plattsburgh campus, students want to have a fun time. It will be concerning to see if the positive number of cases will rise further after Halloween weekend.
Partying for one weekend will not be worth getting sent home a week later from a large number of positive cases.
Partying is not the only option to have fun on Halloween. Greek Life organizations typically have social events such as parties or mixers with one another; however, there is none being permitted currently by SUNY Plattsburgh. Sororities and fraternities are going to need to find new outlets to celebrate. The sisters of Sigma Delta Tau are planning on a simple weekend with each other.
“I would do something with my roommates ‘cause I already live with them, and then do something with small friend groups,” Sigma Delta Tau junior Kristine McKenzie said. “Instead of having a whole big thing like 50 or 60 girls in one house, we are going to try to split up the organization so we can all hang out separately.”
Students off campus can utilize the outdoors for social distancing, such as porches or lawns. But, it’s important to keep groups small and manageable. No one wants to get kicked off campus this close to the end of the semester.
“Now that the cases are starting to go up and there’s a lot more people in quarantine, I think it’s important that not only Greek life, but others like sports teams and students are making sure they’re following the rules and social distancing because it’s just going to create a lot more students in quarantine,” Sigma Delta Tau senior Brianna Muller said. “Nobody wants to get sent home – I don’t want to be sent home my last year here.”
Students have many options to making Halloween fun without threatening the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Students can dress up with friends and create different ways to celebrate Halloween. Decorate or carve pumpkins, watch movies, or create a Halloween drinking game. The options are endless with a little imagination, or a quick search on Pinterest.
Just remember, your decisions on Halloween can affect everyone. Don’t send everyone packing because you want to play beer pong, dance, and get sloshed at multiple different parties.
It’s not worth it.
