Halloween has something for everyone. Extroverts who love to party get an excuse to dress up in costumes, dance, drink and stay out. Meanwhile, introverts can turn out the lights to watch a scary movie with some candy and maybe a few close friends. Everyone in between can go to late-night haunted houses, participate in trick or treating (either giving or receiving) and generally enjoy copious amounts of candy.
However, all of these things have one negative thing in common: they are bound to keep you up late. It’s simply in the nature of Halloween to celebrate in the night, and that has obvious consequences for the next day. This is especially true this year, when the holiday falls in the middle of the week.
NC State students will have to make a choice: enjoy one of the greatest holidays to its full extent, or look out for their classes. Make the choice you want, students, but the trade-off may haunt you. This decision, however, doesn’t need to exist; if the NC State academic calendar included a day off on the day after Halloween, students of many backgrounds could spend the holiday in any way they see fit without fear of unnecessary consequences.
Specifically, I’m referring to the large population of students who celebrate Halloween, in addition to those celebrating Día de los Muertos, the Latin-American holiday known in English as the Day of the Dead. Día de los Muertos starts on October 31st and lasts until November 2nd, consistently falling right into the range that students will be celebrating Halloween.
With two holidays from two cultures falling into the same time range, the efficiency of using this academic day off for students would be twice as much as an American break like Thanksgiving, for which students receive multiple days off each fall semester.
Halloween and Día de los Muertos both have historically religious origins, but today are celebrated much more secularly and widely as international holidays. Simply put, these are two cultural holidays, and students should get an opportunity to observe them.
Compare this to the 2019 spring holiday for students, which cancels classes on Friday, April 19th. Spring holiday does the same thing as a potential Halloween break would do, except in a way that clearly creates time for Easter, as it is celebrated on the 21st this coming year. Easter, while celebrated by a large number of Christian students, is inherently a religious holiday and NC State creating a break for it shows religious bias in the calendar, especially when the opportunity for a multicultural break is an option.
The potential break, while being culturally beneficial, would also be logistically and practically phenomenal. Most students are also coming to the end of midterms, the start of mid-semester burnout, and the start of final projects. A short break right now would allow many students a needed chance to decompress.
The previous points about partying are especially applicable when viewing the break in this context. It would be harmful to the academics of students and the dignity of NC State alike if those in the class were nursing a hangover or falling asleep. NC State administration should recognize that students should be allowed a recovery day after such a well-known night of partying. To use days off in other manners is simply not as effective for learning.
In cases like this year, a day off after Halloween would admittedly be awkward with classes the following day, but the benefits of its timing are undeniable. Students of all sorts and many cultures would be able to use this time in whatever way they see fit, whether that is celebrating a personally important holiday or simply preparing for more academics. Our university needs to recognize the benefits a break the day after Halloween would provide to many students, and make sure that in the years to come the academic calendar recognizes the wants and needs of the student body.
