Boston University is halfway through this year’s two-part “Halloweekend” and BU officials said they want students to be safe and healthy during their celebrations.
The Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore and Boston University Police Department Chief of Police Kelly Nee reached out via email to the BU student body with reminders of ways to have fun and stay safe.
Elmore reminded students to maintain a balance of fun and safety, writing, “And above all, try not to be extra.”
Deputy Chief of BUPD Robert Molloy said he would like to remind students that although ride share services like Lyft and Uber are a useful and safe way to get around, students must be sure to check the app and to confirm that they are getting into the correct car and not to sit up front in the passenger side.
Molloy also said students should call the police if someone is in danger from drinking too much. BU’s “Good Samaritan” policy ensures that students who call for help will not get any substance abuse penalties and neither will the person in danger as well.
“We know that people will probably consume alcohol,” Molloy said, “but we want our community to know that if they see somebody that’s in distress from alcohol to call us because we will respond and we will call the correct agencies to respond to give that person assistance.”
Molloy also encouraged students to keep fellow neighborhood residents in mind and remain respectful. There will be an increased number of police officers on duty on Halloween Thursday, Molloy said.
Katherine Cornetta, assistant to the Dean of Students, said Halloween is celebrated by many students on campus. Cornetta said she wants students to have a good time during the weekend while also staying safe.
Cornetta said in recent years there tends to be two Halloweekends no matter what day the holiday falls on.
“Over time, we’ve learned to expect two Halloweekends because people really want to celebrate the holiday,” Cornetta said.
Cornetta is also in charge of BU’s Halloween website, which has been up for nearly a decade. It provides students with on-campus events as well as off-campus events.
Maya Malekian, a senior in the College of Communication, said she thinks BU does a good job of allowing their students to feel safe on campus during Halloween.
“I don’t really go to any events at BU, but when I’m with a group of friends, I feel pretty safe,” Malekian said.
Charlotte Schuster, a freshman in COM, said she thinks BU does a good job providing security for students in dorms.
“I feel very safe on campus, I feel like there’s great security especially in the dorms,” Schuster said. “Especially for a city school, I feel like we have a lot of [security] compared to other schools.”
But remember, if everything goes wrong, and you are assaulted…BUPD will discourage you from reporting it, smile condescendingly while you recount what happened, and ultimately sweep it under the rug (see the Rivlin incident).