Being at the receiving end of a trick-or-treat is arguably more enjoyable than being on the giving end. Still, adults participate in the holiday by stocking up on candy and supplying costume-clad kids with all their favorites, while reminiscing on the joys of Halloween past.
For the second year in a row, Summit Village will not host its trick-or-treat event due to COVID-19. In previous years, they have opened their doors to children in the community and allowed them to request candy from residents.
Director of Residence Life Molly Kinne wrote via email, “Due to concerns around COVID-19 and keeping our students and those in the community safe we made the decision to not host the event this year.”
According to Kinne, in order for the event to be held, it would have needed to be entirely outdoors to minimize risk. This was not a practical option due to the unpredictability of Colorado weather in October.
“We felt it was better to choose not to host it all versus hosting the event outside and then having to cancel the event last minute due to weather concerns,” Kinne wrote.
When making the decision not to host the trick-or-treat event, Residence Life and Housing consulted several other offices on campus, including athletics; Kimberly Guyer, associate vice chancellor for student affairs; and Carlos Garcia, vice chancellor for student affairs.
Kinne wrote, “After considering the feedback and weighing the risks with the benefits of the event, we felt we should wait until the future when we can provide the full experience, which would entail allowing kids to trick or treat in buildings on campus, as we have done in the past.”
Residents can still participate in Halloween festivities, but they need to take precautions.
“We encourage residents to remember to follow all COVID-19 polices such as wearing face coverings (even off campus), social distancing when possible and our guest policy of no more than 2 guests per person. We encourage residents to not participate in large gatherings where the risk of COVID-19 is higher,” Kinne wrote.
More information on UCCS’ COVID-19 policies and guidelines can be found here.
