Baruch College students showed their bearcat pride by dressing up in costumes and hosting events to encourage students to get into the spirit of Halloween.
Students wore costumes referencing popular characters, animals, objects and silly themes.
Students said embracing the holiday brought the Baruch community together. They said dressing up and attending club events increased the positive attitude on campus.
The Indian Student Association held a Diwali celebration because the holiday coincided with Halloween. The holidays combined forces to celebrate in the Clivner-Field Plaza.
Shreya Kaveti, events coordinator for South Asian Student Association, explained that the collaboration between the holidays has helped their club celebrate Diwali.
“We have a bigger reason to celebrate stuff,” Kaveti said. “Because it’s Halloween, it gave us a bigger scope.”
The celebration included music with free treats such as cotton candy and catered food from Desi Galli.
Students also used Halloween as an opportunity to show off their unique cultures.
“It’s interesting to see how people have been twisting South Asian culture with Halloween,” Kaveti said.
Baruch student Joel Bautista wore a costume related to a traditional Bolivian dance called La Diabla. He wore a handmade costume featuring Bolivian patterns. Bautista was also joined by Kate Sullivan, who wore a hot dog costume.
“I dressed as a hot dog this year because I like them,” Sullivan said.
Allyanna Francis, president of the Caribbean Student Association, Jayleen Hernandez, coordinator of student affairs of Initiative for the Study of Latin America, and Christiana Addy, president of the African Student Association, joined forces for a group costume imitating rapper Soulja Boy.
This was their first year dressing up on campus. However, Francis explained that she noticed more students celebrating Halloween this year.
“This year is definitely different. Everyone is putting in effort this year,” Francis said. “We all thought it’s our senior year, so we’re going to dress up one last time.”
Some said celebrating Halloween with costumes is a tradition they observe every year.
“There’s never not a time I haven’t dressed up,” Nikita Nelson said. “I never have a problem with how people look at me when I’m outside; I just have fun.”
CSA, ISLA, and ASA also gave out candy during club hours and could be found dancing to music in the club suites, adding to the cheerful atmosphere.
Marketers of Baruch and the American Marketing Association hosted murder mystery games. Additionally, they played marketing-related games to stay on theme with their club’s mission.
Charlize Wang, the executive vice president of MOB, explained that their event was a social event to have members interact with one another and celebrate the day.
WBMB hosted a Fright Fest celebration in the NVC cafeteria, where they held a costume competition with food, drinks, and a runway.
Many students took advantage of the various events on campus to dress up with friends and play games, with additional plans to meet friends after classes ended.
In relation to Halloween parties, the Baruch Health and Wellness Center tabled in the NVC lobby to conduct alcohol consumption trivia, encouraging healthy choices.
Additional reporting by Dua Jafri, Ashley Kodowa and Maya Demchak-Gottlieb
