Campus is slated to be especially spooky this Halloween, as the beloved holiday will take place this year on a Monday. And while classes are not canceled, many Mavs are looking forward to the unique opportunity to dress up for classes and attend on-campus festivities.
“[Dressing up] is fun–especially in school nowadays, when everyone seems to be a little down in the dumps and stressed out. It gives people a little bit of joy and brings up their spirits for the season,” junior business analysis major Bryce Schust said.
Halloween is often dismissed as a holiday for children; yet, Schust is one of many students at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) who recognizes that fun has no age-limit. Moreover, a considerable amount of returning Mavs seek the on-campus Halloween experience which COVID-19 discouraged.
“I haven’t had many Halloween experiences at Mesa yet. I came here during a weird year –the first year of COVID,” junior in criminal justice Logan Zimmerman said. “I need to go to some [events] this year for sure.”
One of the bigger Halloween events at CMU is Trick-or-Treat Street. During this, kids from the Grand Junction community are invited to trick-or-treat in the dorms. Many students in residence halls decorate their dorms in anticipation. On the flip side, Little Mavs will be parading through campus in costume to pass out candy.
With Halloween fast approaching, a majority of Mavs already have their costumes planned. Schust plans to bring Neverland to CMU by dressing up as Peter Pan, and Zimmerman will be the iconic Indiana Jones. Yet, whether CMU President John Marshall will dress up has been placed in the hands of student life.
“I’m not usually a big costume guy,” Marshall said. “Our student leaders asked me if I’d be willing to dress up and I told them yes–if they could figure out how to make it part of some sort of contest for a really good cause […] I’m not doing it for kicks and grins, but I would do it for a good cause.”
If you want to see Marshall in costume, get in touch with your student government leaders with ideas on a way to make Halloween more charitable. Regardless, students on-campus can already feel the mysterious ambiance of the holiday advancing. Make sure you get your costume ready –whether it be Velma Dinkley, Jeff or a Minion.
