Haunted houses, horror movie marathons, terrifying costumes, and fun parties. We spend all of October deliberately terrifying ourselves in the spirit of Halloween, but none of these things even come close to being the scariest part of Halloween. Instead, the scariest part is that student sexual misconduct spikes on Halloween and in the few days beforehand on campuses all across the nation. According to Colorado State University, Halloween weekend made up 5-7% of ALL misconduct cases reported to them for the whole year. And these numbers make sense.
When you think about Halloween on campus, you think costumes, parties, drinking, and late nights having fun. Now, all of these things are great (when done responsibly), but these also combine to form a hotbed for sexual assault, drugging, and more. As much of a mood killer, it is to think about all of this when you just want to go out and enjoy the one day a year you can dress up however you like without being judged, it’s important to be conscious of your environment and those around you. To help you have a fun and stress-free Halloween this year, follow these tips to stay safe and be responsible:
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Remember that sexual assault doesn’t have a gender, be aware of everyone around you
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Speak up if you see harassment happening
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If something seems off, trust your instincts! If you don’t feel safe, leave right away with a designated driver or Lyft (Lyft drivers have to get background checks, and they’re also having 10% off rides in October!)
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Don’t set down your drink and always be aware of it when it’s in your hand
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Make sure your phone is charged, so you have a way of contacting your friends or emergency services, as well as a flashlight in case you have to walk somewhere after dark
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Leave the party if it’s getting out of hand
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It’s 2018, we should know by now that an outfit is NOT an invitation to be touched or implying anything (whether a guy or a girl is wearing it)
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Take responsibility for your actions and treat people how you want to be treated this season
I know that this isn’t exactly a fun article to read, but hopefully, it gave you some info to help you stay safe. Now go and enjoy all the best parts of the season, I’ll be over here planning my costume for the next three weeks if you need me.