Tricks and treats: how to stay safe over Halloweekend

Though Halloween may be a prime time for children, college-age kids at heart still celebrate the ghosts and ghoulies on Oct. 31. However, Halloween weekend is also one of the most dangerous of the year, which sees a sharp rise in arrests and cases of violence and substance abuse on college campuses across the country.

Here are some tips for staying safe while having fun this coming holiday.

Watch your back (and your friends’): as always, make sure you don’t travel anywhere alone on Halloween. Make sure that you remain with a group while at parties and while walking around campus. It is especially important to watch drinks and food while at parties or at restaurants; make sure that you do not accept any drinks or food from strangers, and get your own drinks and snacks.
Know who’s behind the mask: Halloween makes it easy for people to hide their identities. Make sure you know who you’re talking to. Follow your gut instincts–if someone seems to be acting strangely, they probably are.
Who you gonna call?: Before you head out to celebrate Halloween, be sure to put some emergency contact info into your cell phone. Remember to add OCU campus police (for the record, their number is (405) 208-5001 . In emergencies, call them at (405) 208-5911. Also make sure to have a designated friend who is not going out, who is willing to come get you if anything should go wrong. Let someone close to you (a roommate, a friend) know your exact game plan for the night and when you plan to be home.
Know before you go: Make sure you have some knowledge of where you’ll be before you go to any parties or events. It’s important to know your surroundings. Once you arrive, set a designated meet-up spot for you and your friends, should anyone get lost or have issues.
Play nicely: Halloween often seems like a good time to play tricks and treat people to a dose of pranks. But before you toilet paper someone’s yard or smashing pumpkins, remember that these seemingly harmless pranks can actually get you arrested (people have been indicted on criminal charges for toilet papering homes). Ensure that everyone has a happy and safe Halloween by thinking twice about vandalism.
Watch your drink: If you are of legal drinking age, be sure to watch your intake of alcohol this Halloween. The holiday is notorious for alcohol poisoning for college students who party too hard. Binge drinking is extremely dangerous, and can be life-threatening. Look out for yourself and your friends, and know the symptoms of alcohol poisoning, and how to deal with a person who is sick (find more info about alcohol poisoning symptoms at Mayo Clinic). If in doubt, it is always a better choice to call emergency personnel or take a sick friend to the ER. It goes without saying, but if you’re underage, don’t drink.
There’s life off-campus, too: Don’t feel pressured to stay on-campus, or even nearby: there are tons of festive fall festivals going on around the city on Halloween! Dress up with friends and head to Frontier City Amusement Park to experience Fright Fest, full of rides, games, and creepy entertainment (you’ll spot a few OCU performers in their shows, too!). Or, for spookier fun, head to one of the numerous Haunted Houses located around the downtown area, like The Sanctuary. If you’re not interested in being scared, the eve-popular H&8th Night Market will close out their annual season with a fall festival night featuring food trucks and live music.