Treats not tricks mark Halloween

By Staff reports

Few tricks abounded at Santa Clara Halloween celebrations this weekend, as students celebrated with costumes and beverages, minus an excess of ghoulish behavior.

According to Officer Mike Sellers a Santa Clara police spokesman, there was an increase in parties over the weekend. However, only one first response citation was issued between Friday and Sunday.

Sellers said no students were cited for alcohol violations, such as minor in possession or drunk in public.

After its absence last year due to fire code violations, Sigma Pi's Halloween Havoc was back this year. The party started around 5 p.m., and was broken up by the police by 8:45 p.m.

The party was highlighted by a live show from student band Paper and a performance by members of the Santa Clara Dance Team, in black pants and shirts reading "Havoc."

While the weekend included a plethora of nurses, bunnies, cavemen, housewives and school girls, others used the occasion to play on popular culture.

Some of the notable costumes of the weekend included a man dressed as Steve Irwin, wearing a khaki safari outfit with a stingray protruding from his chest; various stages of Britney Spears, from "Baby One More Time," to pregnant with one more baby; and Papa Smurf, painted blue with a cotton ball beard.

On Halloween night, while there was an "increase in foot traffic," according to Sellers, with many people venturing out between 8:30 p.m. and 2 a.m. There were no first response citations issued.

However, there was a disturbance where several students were involved in a fight at a house off campus with non-affiliates, which resulted in a Santa Clara student being shot in the face with an Airsoft gun. The student was not injured.

One student was arrested Tuesday for being drunk in public.

On campus over the weekend, several students and two people not affiliated with the university were found in a McLaughlin Hall dorm room with alcohol Friday, Oct. 27.

On Sunday, Oct. 29, one student required transport to Valley Medical Center by paramedics for alcohol poisoning. She was found outside of McLaughlin Hall.

Last year, from Friday, Oct. 28 to Monday, Oct. 31, there were seven alcohol citations issued and three arrests were made, one for being drunk in public and the other two for unrelated assaults.

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