Kids on Campus Cure Their Candy Cravings

Trick-or-Treat Street excites communityDan HanowerTHE SANTA CLARAOctober 31, 2013Halloween at Santa Clara usually conjures up images of — let’s just say “off-campus events.” However, that’s not all that Santa Clara students do to show their Halloween spirit. Throughout the week, a number of Halloween-themed events have happened all over campus, from costume contests to pumpkin carvings.Trick-or-Treat Street, which took place in Dunne, McLaughlin and Walsh Halls was one of the most highly-anticipated events. For an hour on Tuesday, kids from the community, including  some faculty members’ children, toured through the residence halls and trick-or-treated in full Halloween garb and spirit.  Junior Victoria Cruz, a community facilitator in Dunne Hall, helped with the event.“Its just a very safe environment for the kids to go trick-or-treating,” said Cruz.Parents were able to rest easy knowing their children were safe and sound, and the kids also delighted in their time at Santa Clara  —  not simply because they got candy.Junior Jeneé Dampier, also a community facilitator in Dunne, has worked on this event twice now. “They really enjoyed being with other kids and seeing the college students,” said Dampier. “The kids definitely had a lot of fun.”However, the kids who were trick-or-treating were not the only ones who appreciated the experience. Students also got into the candy-filled Halloween spirit and enjoyed having the young kids and their parents in the residence halls. Freshman Sam Peterson even dressed up to pass out candy.“It just made it more fun for the kids,” Peterson said. In addition, students who dressed up felt festive and participated in the event. “It’s a nice chance for the kids to go out and do something fun for Halloween,” said Peterson. “I know I would have liked it as a kid.”For some students, having the event in the midst of midterms may have made it difficult to feel festive for such a lighthearted holiday. Sophomore Theo Merriam, on the other hand, thought that trick-or-treating might help to relieve some of the stress from school. “I thought it would be a great break from studying,” said Merriam.“It was great to see the smiles on their faces. They were all really happy to receive candy.”Even though college students might be a bit old to trick-or-treat themselves, this event showed that Broncos still feel the Halloween spirit. Contact Dan Hanower at dhanower@scu.edu.