<r the first time in over a decade, no Halloween Orchestra Concert took place this past weekend. Instead, the Student Activities Office hosted a “Spooktacular.” While SAO made the change to appeal to more students, some students, especially in the Orchestra, opposed it.
The Spooktacular, for those who do not know, involves a costume competition in Cowling, followed by the Cowling dance in addition to the dance in the gym. “We are going to have a photo booth outside and a pizza room,” added Program Assistant for Music and Dance, Sarah Tan.
However, because of the Spooktacular, Student Activities did not support the Halloween Orchestra Concert, which did not happen last weekend.
“For at least a decade, there has been a Halloween concert that has been put on, in which the Orchestra would perform Halloween music and there would be a costume contest,” said Omar Kaufman ’15, a member of the Carleton Orchestra.
Though the Student Activities Office lists the concert as a tradition on their website, they did not consider that sufficient reason to continue the concert. “Every tradition at Carleton has to change at some point,” said Program Assistant for Special Events Sam White, “some traditions need to be changed and some will stay the same forever.”
According to Student Activities, the event might not even be a tradition, in the traditional sense. “There are years where there has been a costume contest and the orchestra hasn’t been involved and they merged at one time and the event has over the years ebbed and flowed,” said Assistant Director of Student Activities Nadine Sunderland.
Instead, Student Activities wanted to create a new tradition. “One of the goals for changing it was making a day where all of Carleton is dressing up in costume,” said White. Student Activities also charted a costume bus for this purpose.
Though people in the Orchestra listed a host of complaints received by Student Activities, Student Activities presented only one major reason for changing the event: students did not want it.
“The last couple of years, student life has been looking at the event and seeing how they could improve or change it or make it something that students want,” said White.
However, members of the Orchestra had a very different view about attendance. “Student Activities kept moving [the concert] earlier and earlier in the evening, so obviously people would not want to go earlier,” said Kaufman.
They also expressed concern about replacing the concert. “It’s really disheartening, because it’s another Carleton tradition that’s being replaced by a Cowling dance,” said Kaufman.
With all of the decorations and stations, White described it as “halfway to Midwinter Ball.” In theory, people went for the costume contest and stayed for the dance.
Hopefully next year, students will speak out and say that to have their cake and eat it too. Maybe in the future, students will be able to enjoy the Spooktacular and the Halloween Orchestra Concert, with better planning from SAO.