When it comes to Halloween, Kent does it right. Downtown becomes a Mecca for students looking to party and go crazy. And the best part is that even though we’re all in or around our 20s, we get to play dress up again! I think it’s important to set some boundaries up front though. For the sake of your dignity and the courtesy of your fellow festivity participants, I’ve come up with four guidelines I feel it’s important to keep in mind when you’re planning your costume.

1) “Don’t overdo it with the glitter.”

Glitter might seem like a nice touch to some costumes – a fairy princess, a regular princess, a butterfly, a stripper, a witch. You can use it with almost anything. Before you go full-on Ke$ha and coat yourself in 10 pounds of the stuff though, I’d like to offer one piece of advice: Keep in mind that glitter is like the herpes of the arts and crafts world. You might think you’ve gotten rid of it, but it’ll always turn back up again. If you’re not careful with glitter, you’ll still be finding it all over yourself until July.

2) “Make positive decisions with your footwear.”

Ladies, this one’s for you. While it’s universally understood that this is college, and Halloween is a completely acceptable excuse to strap on the kinkiest things you own and prance around like a slut, for your safety, I urge you to take your footwear seriously. College students are known for drinking, and this is especially true on Halloween. That being said, if you’re planning on getting shit-face wasted, it’s probably not the best idea to be in the 7-inch hooker heels that you can barely shuffle in even when you’re totally sober. You could wind up with a face full of pavement or a broken leg.

Or worse: You could do the most disgusting thing imaginable and take your shoes off. Be wary that those around may have been hammered long before you even got there. With that in mind, if I’m at a party shaking my ass and causing some damage on the dance floor and I’m suddenly presented with a choice, no matter how much my feet ache or may be bleeding, I’d rather suffer through it than break it down in someone else’s piss or vomit. Before you leave home for the evening, make a commitment to your shoes.

Remember, it’s not “till drunk do us part.”

3) “Don’t make excuses.”

If for whatever reason you didn’t put any effort into coming up with an awesome costume, that’s OK! Go out and have a great time regardless. But when people approach you and ask what you’re suppose to be, be honest and tell them you’re a poor college kid that didn’t feel like/have the time to come up with a costume. Don’t try to pull something out of your ass to seem cool.

And last, but definitely not least,

4) “Spandex is a privilege, NOT a right.”

I don’t think this one needs any explanation…Please dress responsibly.

Contact Justin Lagore at [email protected].