Quinnipiac Tells Students to ‘Consider Impact' of Halloween Costume

As students at colleges across the country prepare to get in costume to celebrate Halloween, leaders at Quinnipiac University in Hamden are sending a message to students to make sure the Halloween costume a student thinks of as fun isn’t also offensive. 

“We’re not telling you what to wear. We’re telling you to be mindful in choosing your costume,” Dr. Diane Ariza, Chief Diversity Officer at Quinnipiac University. 

The university sent a memo to all students telling them in part to, “consider the impact your costume decision may have on others in the QU community” and continued, “While everyone has the freedom to be expressive, we also want our peers to celebrate that we are part of a vibrant, diverse QU community that strives toward respecting others. We want to remind everyone to have a great Halloween but also to be mindful.” 

This comes after student leaders at Quinnipiac organized the “my culture is not a costume” campaign. To remind their peers that costumes involving things like blackface, Mexican sombreros and Native American headdresses are not only offensive, but also unacceptable. 

The conversation about cultural sensitivity got going at the beginning of the year after a student posted a Snapchat picture of another student apparently in blackface with the caption “black lives matter.” That student is no longer enrolled at QU.

Some QU students were surprised that in this day and age, the school would need to send a reminder about racial sensitivity. 

"It is a bit disappointing that the school has to step forward to make it known not to offend other cultures. 

Others wondered whether there really is a need for such guidance, like freshman Layla Rodriguez. 

Many students said they hope during this weekend’s celebrations, they won’t run into anything that makes a joke of the cultures of others. 

"You’ve got to be mindful of other people’s cultures and not trying to be replicate something that can be so sensitive" Darnell Ragland, a senior, said. 

“If you’re making fun of a different race or culture, that’s not fun. You should know better,” Kelly Manzo, a freshman who is majoring in business management, said. 

Contact Us