Last year campus police reported 22 medical emergencies and five alcohol violations resulting in transport to the hospital during the week of Halloween from Oct. 28 to Nov. 4, according to daily activity logs.
In 2023, when Halloween fell on a Tuesday, police reported 15 medical emergencies and no alcohol violations from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3, according to daily activity logs.
Halloween is on a Friday this year and University of Rhode Island staff are taking preventative measures and raising awareness about alcohol use to keep students safe over the weekend.
The amount of medical emergencies or incidents relating to substance use in the week of Halloween depend on what day of the week the holiday falls on, according to Jennifer Hodshon, director of Health Services.
“This year [Halloween] falls on a Friday, so we are on heightened awareness,” Hodshon said.
Hodshon reached out to her commander at URI Emergency Medical Services to see if he was upstaffing for Halloween.
URI holds multiple substance use prevention and education events for students at the beginning of each semester and for incoming freshmen each June, according to Jessica Greene, assistant director of health promotion and wellness.
“All of that prevention work leading up to these higher risk weekends really does help,” Greene said. “[They] kind of set the groundwork.”
Medical resources, including naloxone and fentanyl test strips, are available to students through Health Services and wellness vending machines in the 24 Hour Room in the Robert L. Carothers Library and Memorial Union.
While there are ongoing programs for alcohol safety and awareness, alcohol use in college students has decreased in the past few years, according to Sherman and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Health Services has observed a shifting culture in regards to alcohol and substance use, according to Greene.
There have been several trends over the past few years surrounding not drinking alcohol, Greene said, including “dry January” and an increase in bars serving mocktails.
While alcohol use tends to gain a lot of attention, there are still many students who do not drink or use drugs, according to Greene.
“There’s a lot of people who are not drinking and we just need to remember that and to normalize it,” Greene said. “And it’s okay to still have fun and do other fun things.”
Students who do drink generally have been taking precautions such as ridesharing, Ubering or having a designated driver, according to Hodshon.
The URI Counseling Center holds weekly meetings with Sherman and Catherine Calise, another substance abuse specialist and counselor on campus.
“There’s just a lot on campus that I feel like not a lot of students know,” Sherman said.
Students’ problems are approached through the lens of harm reduction, according to Sherman. This means recognizing students’ curiosities and behavior without shaming it, and doing as much as possible to keep them safe.
URI has a medical amnesty policy, which protects students from receiving alcohol or drug student conduct charges when calling for emergency medical services, according to Sherman. The state of Rhode Island has a Good Samaritan Law, which similarly protects students living off-campus.
“The medical amnesty policy is in place to protect that student who’s calling, and making sure that the person who they’re calling on gets the medical attention that they need,” Sherman said.
Established this year, the Collegiate Recovery Program on campus held a Halloween event Wednesday in the Memorial Union, according to Hodshon.
The program offers support for all students, according to Arielle Sherman, specialist in alcohol and substance prevention.
“[The Collegiate Recovery Program] is a place where students can go if they don’t really want to go out drinking for Halloween, but they want to congregate and hang out with each other,” Hodshon said. “The collegiate recovery space is amazing, so we’re hoping we get a big group there [on Wednesday].”
The program has a space in the lower level of the Memorial Union, in Room 118, where students can drop by to hang out or study during the week, according to Sherman. The program holds daily groups.
“It’s not just for students who are part of the program,” Sherman said. “We want to make it [have] a community feel.”
URI Health Promotion hosted events for Alcohol Awareness Week from Oct. 27 to Oct. 31, according to Greene. Activities included a drunk goggles event where students played games like Mario Kart while wearing goggles that imitate a high blood alcohol content and a perfect pour event where students tested their knowledge of what a standard drink is.
A candy and flu shots event will be held on Halloween from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mackal Field House. Students can find more information about events at the Health Promotion Instagram @urihealthpromotion.
Health Services will be open Saturday and Sunday as usual.
“We’re ready for the headaches,” Hodshon said.
