Is Halloween dead to UD?

0
785

Halloween is two weeks away and there still has been not much mention of Halloween on campus. The University of Dallas has little to no Halloween decorations besides the plastic pumpkin and candy bowl next to the dinosaur skeleton in SB Hall.

Halloween is an opportunity to build community through watching scary movies, sharing traditions and dressing up as your favorite fictional character with friends.

Some students skip out on Halloween because they associate it with loud parties on and off campus. Kelly Abels, a sophomore English major, is a big fan of Halloween but has no plans for the holiday.

“There’s never been big Halloween events on campus that I know of and I don’t really go to parties,” said Abels.

A consistent request has been casual events in the dorms for students who want to celebrate without going to a party.

CJ Alexander, a sophomore pre-nursing major, said: “This year they had done the caramel apple decorating in Clark which was nice. So a little more small scale activities like that especially like pumpkin carving.”

Sabrina Nguyen, sophomore business major, voiced a similar idea.

“Free candy tables in Haggar or someplace,” proposed Nguyen. “Maybe just something small.” 

Kaylie Vo, a senior politics major and the Residence Hall Association intern, said, “On the RA front, RAs will tend to put on a lot of Halloween themed events like putting on a Halloween movie, reverse trick or treating.” Yet dorms like Augustine and Clark have no decorations besides those put up by a few enthusiastic residents.

For some students, Halloween is simply not their thing. They see no reason to celebrate it at all.

Anna Sobczak, a sophomore education major, insisted, “It is inferior to Thanksgiving.There is not a defined purpose to it. It doesn’t have something clear to celebrate that is embedded in some virtues or some values unlike other holidays.”

Other students, like Amelia Ebent, a sophomore English major, while not a fan of Halloween, see its value.

“It’s Catholic origin. All Hallow’s eve [means] the night before All Saint’s Day which is a big thing in Catholic theology so that’s why it ranks a bit higher than other holidays,” Ebent explained.

Halloween is a holiday of Catholic significance, so why doesn’t UD celebrate it more in its typical fashion such as talks on the origin of Halloween and the like? Even if one does not enjoy the whimsical aspects of the holiday, one can enjoy the religious ones 

Maggie Devit, a junior history major, thoroughly enjoys Halloween.

“It was always the best because you could get together with friends and just dress and be someone else for the night,” explained Devit. 

While UD may not be celebrating Halloween in a pompous way, it is still possible to celebrate with friends and start new traditions.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here