Opinion

Have a wild and safe Halloween

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Related stories:

• Plans promise more treats than tricks (October 27, 2004)
• A Hollow-een (October 26, 2007)
• Balance needed this Halloween (October 21, 2003)
• Halloween, take 2 (October 30, 2001)
• Students add to Madison's mystique (October 6, 2005)

Also by Badger Herald Editorial Board:

• The Invisible Man Award: Wyndham Manning (May 7, 2009)
• The People's Choice Award: Jacqueline Hitchon et. al (May 7, 2009)
• The Lifetime Achievement Award: ASM (May 7, 2009)
• Honest representation (May 5, 2009)
• Junger for ASM Chair (May 5, 2009)

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With Halloween weekend upon us, Madison will once again have the opportunity to showcase obscene amounts of wild, hedonistic debauchery urged on by a steady flow of malted beverages. In Madison, uninhibited partying on State Street has become as synonymous with Halloween as pumpkins and candy.

But as the celebration nears, we again urge students to behave responsibly and party safely.

To this end, we urge students to take responsibility for their guests. Out-of-town visitors were overwhelmingly the cause of the most serious offenses during the riots that occurred on State Street during last year’s Halloween celebration. Shortly after the celebration, 16 arrests were reported in connection with the riots. Four of the individuals arrested were from the Madison area, but none of them were UW students.

These figures do not serve to say UW students were completely innocent in the disastrous ending of last year’s gala. But the fact remains that out-of-town visitors can leave before the dust has even settled, while the rest of us must stay and clean up the mess (and, sometimes, face serious consequences). So in addition to reminding guests to behave responsibly, we all must encourage them to respect the school and the city we must live in after the kegs are returned.

In addition, the use of glass bottles, the possession of fake or real weapons and nudity of any kind will be prohibited. While these rules about nudity and fake weapons are utterly absurd, restricting guns and glass bottles is wise and in the public’s interest. We encourage officers to use reasonable judgment and a general “hands off” policy similar to that used at the Mifflin Street Block Party to handle the crowd.

We hope that this Halloween weekend can provide the hedonism and debauchery we all know and love minus the riots that marred last year’s events.