As Halloween nears, St. John’s students are gearing up for the holiday in different ways.
Forty-five campus organizations are participating in Healthy Halloween, a revamped version of the annual Diabetic Halloween hosted by Phi Lambda Sigma.
In the past, the event focused on raising awareness of juvenile diabetes. This year, the focus shifted to providing children with general nutrition information.
Healthy Halloween will bring 75 children from schools in the Queens area to the University for an afternoon of learning, face and pumpkin painting, and trick-or-treating.
According to Jodi Cox, associate director for Campus Activities, the children will go on a tour of the University Center, eat lunch, and trick-or-treat around the University before heading back to their schools.
“We hope it’s going to be a great event,” Cox said.
Aside from the campus sponsored Healthy Halloween, many students have been contemplating their holiday plans, deciding where to go, who to go with, and most importantly, whether or not to dress up.
According to a 2005 National Retail Federation survey, nearly 67 percent of college-age individuals plan to celebrate Halloween. Of those surveyed, over 54 percent plan to dress in costume, and 50 percent plan to celebrate by throwing or attending a party.
For St. John’s students, Halloween costumes this year range from policemen, cowboys and flight attendants to nurses, 50 Cent, and Zorro.
“I’m going to be a playboy bunny,” student Jervilyn Jeramillo said.
Many students on campus will be attending Halloween parties to show off their costumes.
“I plan on getting dressed up as a pirate and going to my friend’s house,” sophomore Latoya Blunt said. “We’re going to have a gathering there.”
Blunt’s friend Patti Hardinmon also plans to attend “a little get together.” Hardinmon will dress up for the Halloween gathering as a fire fighter, “but a pretty one,” she said.
Clubs hosting costume parties are also on the Halloween itinerary for many students.
“A lot of people are going to parties or clubs,” finance major Kris Gobo said. “At clubs like DNA or Mirage, everyone shows up dressed up.”
Gobo has not yet finalized his Halloween plans, but he maintains that he will not do “anything too extravagant” to celebrate the holiday.
“Maybe I’ll just put on a suit, slick my hair back, and go as a Wall Street broker,” he said.
A popular festivity among college students is New York’s Village Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village.
“A lot of people go downtown to the festival on the streets of Greenwich Village,” said sophomore Joanna Gui, who is considering going to the parade.
Gui plans to dress up as a fairy, “something with blue wings and a halo,” she said.
The largest public Halloween celebration in the nation, the 32nd Annual Village Halloween Parade begins at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31 on 6th Avenue South of Spring Street.
While some students intend to take advantage of the opportunity to dress up and take a break from the stresses of classes, others will use the holiday for other things. One sophomore student, for example, will be studying chemistry while his fellow classmates are out partying.
