By Staff Writer Madison Kenn.

Although going door to door chanting trick or treat becomes a thing of the past by the time one enters college, dressing up in costume hasn’t lost its popularity just yet.

Halloween is a common holiday to lure college students in to the party scenes… and where are the hottest parties on campus? Almost every UMD student knows the answer to that: the Dells, of course.

Others seem to have caught on to this popular party location as well. In fact, there have been rumors spreading across campus that state cops will be patrolling the Dells on the weekend before Halloween.

This has not yet been confirmed, but what is definite is the security presence at the entrance of the Dells.

This has been frustrating party-goers as it is harder to enter an apartment, due to the advanced security on duty and questions such as the name of the person that is expecting a guest, the reason for visiting, the room number and so forth. Paranoia floods through campus as they hear the news of Dell security.

Arguments are being made that because of this, the school is disrespecting Dell residents. This is a legitimate accusation, however, this isn’t the intentional goal of the campus police.

When officers are patrolling the Dells, they are on the clock, and it is their responsibility to use their time wisely and get the job done. Their objective isn’t to ruin Halloween, as many students are putting it, but they’re actually there for student’s safety.

Party scenes aren’t always friendly, and have the potential to become violent, which is what they are trying to prevent.

Many students fear the presence of police officers, in fear that they will get caught doing something illegal. However, that is not their main focus, the most important priority is to keep everyone safe.

Looking at the situation through a Dell resident’s perspective, it is fair to say that they are being disrespected, as not everyone who lives in the area is at fault.

However, the security had to be improved for a reason. It was the behavior and actions occurring at the Dells that were shocking to the UMD staff.

Even if it wasn’t, the residents who were conducting this unacceptable behavior, they were allowing it. If students weren’t involved in such actions that the staff members feared for, perhaps the outcome would be different. There is always a consequence for one’s actions, and when it comes to the Dell residents, everyone is considered a community; if one makes a mistake, everyone has to clean it up.

As far as Halloween goes, the campus police are on the lookout for suspicious activity. “The cops are ruining Halloween!” is a weak statement; they aren’t ruining anything besides the possibility that you are hoping to get intoxicated with your friends (which by the way, is illegal on a dry campus). News flash, you can still have a costume party and have fun without alcohol and narcotics.

I don’t mean to be a buzzkill, but there is good news. There’s no need to be paranoid about getting past security if you have nothing to hide. If your intention is to have a costume party with friends, have a few laughs, eat some candy, maybe watch a scary movie, then you can still do that.

You just have to answer the questions, which, yes, can be annoying, but it’s for everyone’s safety, and for the record, you can thank your peers for that.

Halloween is still in the near future, make the best of it. Besides, choosing to be agitated isn’t going to make matters any better, what’s done is done.