Halloweekend is one of those times when campus tends to feel a little different. Residents are probably going to parties, dressing up, staying out later than usual, and making plans with friends both on and off campus. For many students, it’s a fun weekend to look forward to. For student leaders like RAs, though, it’s also a weekend where preparation, judgment, and community leadership matter. You aren’t campus police, and you can’t follow your residents around to make sure they’re making the “right” choices. What you can do instead is make sure your residents understand the expectations, know where boundaries are, and know that asking for help is always better than letting a situation become dangerous.
Knowing Your Stuff Ahead of Time
One of the most useful things you can do before Halloweekend is refresh yourself on your community’s policies. Take a look at expectations surrounding alcohol, drugs, guests, noise, prohibited items, and emergency situations. And you don’t need to memorize every line of your student handbook, but you should know enough to confidently answer common questions and know when a situation needs to be passed to professional staff.
More importantly, tell your residents what you know before the weekend starts; a quick conversation is much more useful than waiting until you’re standing in a hallway at 1:00 a.m. dealing with a problem. If there are policies that tend to surface more around Halloweekend, remind residents about them ahead of time, like what is and isn’t allowed in your community, what your expectations are, and what they should do if something goes wrong.
If your institution has an amnesty or medical amnesty policy, this is also a good time to talk about it. Students may hesitate to call for help because they’re worried about getting themselves or a friend in trouble. They need to hear from you ahead of time that a medical emergency is not the time to debate whether someone will get in trouble. If someone is unconscious, unresponsive, experiencing a serious medical reaction, or otherwise in danger, getting help needs to come first.
The Focus Is on Safety, not Judgment
Halloweekend can put RAs in an interesting position. You may see residents out at parties, drinking, or participating in activities that you would rather not witness as their RA. You might find yourself at the same event as residents you oversee. It’s okay to have fun. It’s okay to have a life outside of your RA role. At the same time, your role doesn’t completely disappear because you’re wearing a costume instead of a staff shirt. Think ahead about your own boundaries. If a resident approaches you while you’re out, how will you respond, especially if they’re intoxicated? What if you notice a situation that genuinely concerns you? If you plan to drink, have you thought about what your boundaries and limits are? Knowing how you’ll respond before you’re standing in the middle of everything makes it much easier to stay calm and react appropriately in the moment.
If you encounter a resident who has been drinking or using another substance, focus on the situation in front of you. You may not know exactly what they consumed, how much they consumed, or why they made that choice. You don’t need to diagnose the situation. Instead, pay attention to what you’re seeing. Ask yourself the key questions:
- Is the resident responsive?
- Can they communicate with you?
- Are they able to care for themselves?
- Are they vomiting, having difficulty breathing, unconscious, severely confused, or showing other signs of a medical emergency?
- Are they trying to ask you for help?
If something feels wrong, get help. Don’t ignore signs or your gut feeling just because you don’t want your role to interrupt your night out.
The same principle applies when you encounter a group of residents, too. Encourage them to stay together, look out for one another, and have a plan for getting home safely. Remind them that driving impaired or getting into a vehicle with an impaired driver is never worth the risk. If someone needs help getting somewhere safely, share the resources you’re aware of, and do what you can. Most importantly, reinforce that calling for help is a good decision.
We Can’t Prevent Every Sketchy Decision
Some residents are going to make great decisions. Some are going to make questionable ones. Some won’t drink or party at all, while others will go to parties and stay out until the sun comes up – and everything in between. Despite everyone’s best efforts, something might still go wrong. And you know what? You can’t control all of that. What you can control is whether your residents know what is expected of them, and whether they’re informed.
Halloweekend isn’t about being the person who shuts down all the fun. It’s about being someone who can enjoy the weekend while still recognizing when a situation requires you to step up. Sometimes that means knowing when to let people have fun, when to set a boundary, and when to say, “Hey, I think we need some help here.” So go forth this Halloweekend, be safe, have fun, and be a [responsible] college student.
