As Colorado State University students prepare for a week of Halloween festivities, campus officials are prioritizing safety. Given the increased risks that accompany the holiday, CSU is providing a range of safety resources to support students.
One scary risk on Halloween is the up-to-$1,000 citation that can be issued to students who don’t register their parties. Off-Campus Life has made a one-time exception for students who want to register their party Oct. 31, but they must register by 5 p.m.
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Nik Olsen, director for crisis communications and public information officer at CSU, pointed out that 98% of registered parties do not receive a citation.
“We just want to make sure that everyone’s safe and aware and avoids a $1,000 fine,” Olsen said.
The more serious dangers of Halloween are exemplified by the holiday’s associated increase in hospitalizations. According to a 2022 report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an average of 3,200 Halloween-related injuries are treated in emergency departments in the United States annually.
Many of these incidents were associated with unsafe drinking practices.
A study conducted by the National Library of Medicine found general alcohol consumption is highest around Halloween, and “participants experienced a greater number of negative consequences on Halloweekend compared with the weekend before.”
To combat these negative consequences, resources are made available to students to ensure safety both on and off campus.
“We definitely want you to be careful being out and about,” Olsen said. “That involves using a designated driver or RamRide.”
Drunk driving poses a significant safety risk on Halloween. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 52% of traffic fatalities on Halloween between 2018 and 2022 involved drunk vehicle occupants.
“We want people to take care of yourself and others. We Rams take care of Rams.” -Nik Olsen, CSU director for crisis communications
Olsen said it’s important for students to remember that DUI accidents can be fatal for drivers as well as pedestrians.
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“What’s different about Halloween is that you have a lot of people out moving around in the dark,” Olsen said. “That creates new challenges for drivers.”
On Halloween, students can download the RamRide app and get a code for $15 credit on a Lyft ride. They can also use SafeWalk to be escorted across campus for free by a trained student officer.
This time of year also presents an increased threat of sexual assault. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, more than half of all sexual assaults on college campuses occur during the first four months of the fall semester.
“Halloween is a time that people can have fun (and) they can have permission to be who they want to be,” said Victoria Benjamin, director of the Survivor Advocacy and Feminist Education Center. “That is not an excuse to ever harm somebody.”
Benjamin said students should be aware of people who want to cause harm and encouraged students to consider making a safety plan ahead of time.
“Sometimes we see folks who choose to cause harm trying to separate someone from their group of friends,” Benjamin said. “Safety planning is making a plan in advance on how to keep yourself safe.”
The SAFE Center provides support and community to students who are survivors of power-based violence, including sexual assault and harassment, dating and domestic violence, stalking and childhood abuse. Their 24-hour hotline can be reached at 970-492-4242, or students can drop in from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays in Lory Student Center room 112. There is also a chat feature available during business hours that can be reached at 970-491-6384.
Benjamin pointed out that it is important for witnesses to step in or report if it is safe to do so.
“Violence prevention is a bystander being a good bystander,” Benjamin said.
Students who want to report criminal activity can submit an online referral to Tell Someone or call 970-491-1350 to file a report. If there is a situation in which someone is in immediate danger, students should call 911.
There are also several emergency call boxes throughout campus that students can use to contact police in an emergency. A map is available on the CSU Police Department website as well as list of additional safety tips.
“We want people to take care of yourself and others,” Olsen said. “We Rams take care of Rams.”
Reach Chloe Waskey at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
