Campus Halloween bash will spook students Thursday night

By Nicole Takemotot
The Collegian

Fresno State students will be allowed to get as spooky as they want to be for Halloween this year, and still be safe.

USU Productions will host its first ever Halloween Bash this Thursday, Oct. 26, at midnight and carries into Friday morning, offering a free campus event for all prospective goblins and ghosts.

The event will include a costume contest, food, games and karaoke, as well as free billiards and bowling. The bash is scheduled to run from midnight to 3 a.m. Friday morning in the USU Recreation Center.

Shawna Blair, the USU program adviser, said Fresno State students can attend the late-night event for free, and they are also allowed to bring one public guest per valid student ID presented at the door.

“The goal of this event is to create a safe and fun alternative to the normal Halloween parties,” Blair said.

Wellness Services is sponsoring the event because of a common goal the program shares with USU Productions — to offer a safe, alcohol-free environment for partying students.

“We felt that this was a support-worthy event,” said Sam Gitchel, the Wellness Services coordinator. “It is an opportunity for us to get our social norms message in front of the students.”

Gitchel is referring to the message that’s presented in many alcohol awareness posters all over campus. The posters were designed to clarify students’ misperceptions about just how much Fresno State students drink on a regular basis, with findings based on a recent survey.

“This should be a safe and fun activity that will serve the students,” Gitchel said.

Safety is the key to the event. Since the bash is a USU Productions event that’s being held on campus, with a projected large number of attendees, it’s required that there are at least two police officers on duty.

Amy Armstrong, an administrative assistant with the campus police department, said there are no concerns about the bash.

“It is a requirement of the event and request of those putting it on to have officers on duty, not a concern of ours,” Armstrong said.

Despite party activity off-campus, Halloween is not typically a large concern for campus police. There have not been any on-campus problems in the recent past due to the spooky holiday.

“We will be doing nothing extra or out of the ordinary,” Armstrong said. “We have never had any problems so officers will be running their normal patrol on Halloween.”

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