In the midst of piles of papers and projects, Halloween on Oakmont gives stressed students a chance to momentarily forget their woes, dress up in a Halloween costume and go trick-or-treating on Oct. 31 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. This will be the second year of the new tradition that allows Trinity students to trick-or-treat at the homes of the university’s executive leadership.

Even though some traditions were lost as a result of the pandemic, new traditions like this one and the first-year fiesta work to bring the Trinity community together. The new Halloween tradition is similar to Christmas on Oakmont, where students are invited to spread holiday cheer in and around the beautiful homes of Oakmont Court. Celebrating holidays with the university’s executive leadership is something truly unique to small universities like ours.

Among college students, there are tons of different ways we celebrate Halloween. For the campus party animals, the weekend before or after the holiday is deemed “Halloweekend,” a weekend full of house parties off-campus. For those who are less party-oriented, getting in the spirit means visiting pumpkin patches and haunted houses, watching scary movies, handing out candy or hanging out with friends. Of course, there are those of us who partake in both sides of the story.

Other Halloween-themed events are taking place across campus, like the Swashbuckler’s Haunted Hall on Oct. 27, the Trinity Review’s Open Mic and costume contest on Oct. 26 and the scariest one of all, a “not-so-spooky” internship fair hosted by Residential Life and the Center for Experiential Learning and Success. However, Halloween on Oakmont has something the other events don’t … trick-or-treating!

Even though we would certainly turn heads trick-or-treating in a regular neighborhood at our age, all Trinity students should embrace the joy of dressing up and going door to door for candy. There are so few moments where we are allowed to fully indulge our inner child, so amidst the pressures of a seemingly never-ending midterm season, Halloween on Oakmont is the perfect opportunity to take a well-deserved break and have some fun.

With all the stress of college, going to internship and career fairs, managing a work-life balance and thinking about post-graduate plans, it is easy for many college students to feel like they are fully entering adulthood. Truthfully, we are sitting on the cusp, teetering between leaving our childhood behind and entering the real, grown-up world. At this point in our development, it is important to nurture both sides — childlike fun and the seriousness of adulthood.

As we create new traditions and continue the old ones, it’s important to remember campus culture is what students make of it. Student participation defines campus events and what becomes a truly cherished tradition that can withstand the test of time. Post-pandemic, it’s easier than ever to recognize just how important it is to prioritize celebrating events that let us just have fun.