Howl activities expand to include more than just a dance
Like many of her peers, Morgan Homer went to the Howl to have a good time. But unlike most, a good time does not mean going anywhere near a dance floor; it means getting airbrush tattoos, eating food or watching comedians perform. Unfortunately, dancing used to be all students like Homer could do at the Howl, but this year it changed.
The Howl, a massive Halloween party hosted by the USUSA for students and community members, was held on Oct. 25 with “The Upside Down” as the theme. This year, USUSA decided to increase the amount of activities available in the TSC, giving students the option to play old-fashioned arcade games, go through a haunted house or try out virtual reality.
“Last year, the main attraction was the dance, and I don’t really like dances,” Homer said. “But this year, they had a bunch of new things and other options for people like me. I really liked how interactive the new activities, like the arcade and haunted house, were. It was a lot better experience than just watching a hypnotist.”
Cy Robinson, USUSA activities director, said one of the goals for the Activities Committee was to make the experience better holistically for students who may not be fans of the dance, and to also make it seem like a brand-new Howl experience for students who have attended in the past.
“We want to bring people back because they’re like, ‘Oh, what else is going to be new?’” Robinson said. “The dance is the dance, and people love it. But the TSC has so much variability that we want to create a better experience for all students, regardless of whether or not they want to dance, or they want to just come and watch their friends get hypnotized.”
Even without the addition of new attractions, multiple attendees like Jadine Medina and Nate Hoffman, who are USU alumni, and Jessica Medina, an SUU student, said they were eager to attend the Howl for the dance alone.
“I just look forward to dancing my butt off,” Jadine Medina said. “I think it’s so fun, and I love it.”
Robinson explained that many of the activities were designed to be based off the “Stranger Things” inspired theme. The arcade was a nod to the second season of “Stranger Things,” while the Aggie Ice Cream was a reference to Scoops Ahoy, which was featured in the TV show’s third season.
The Activities Committee works together for months to plan and create the Howl. The process starts with developing a theme, which is decided by compiling a master list of ideas. Committee members then vote on their top three. From there, they begin developing decoration ideas and marketing strategies.
“We really wanted to nail down the promotion this year because, if you don’t have students attend, you don’t have a party,” Robinson said. “We wanted to make people excited for this event.”
Shay Schwab has never been to the Howl in her four years at Utah State, and she said she wishes there was more promotion about the extra non-dance events being held this year.
“I’m not a big fan of dances or crowds of people, but hearing about the new activities makes it more appealing,” she said. “I had no idea about it until my roommate came back and told me about it, and I wish they just made everyone more aware of what they were doing this year.”
Katie Petersen, an activities committee member, monitored the “Starcourt Mall” area of the TSC, which mainly consisted of the International Student Lounge arcade and ice cream.
“I’m in charge of just making sure everyone is having a fun time, but mostly making sure they’re safe,” she said. “If I see something going on, I’m going to be an upstander and help out. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Along with being the largest Halloween party in Utah, the Howl is also one of the most dangerous nights on campus, with record-high sexual assault reports following it every year. Students are encouraged to stay in groups, alcohol and drugs are forbidden, and multiple campus police officers and Logan City officers are on duty trying to keep students safe.
The morning following the Howl, a Timely Warning Notice was sent to students stating that three sexual assaults were reported the night of the Howl, and that police were already investigating. Students are encouraged to reach out to the USU Police if they have any information about these crimes.
“We try our best to make the Howl as safe as possible by having University Police as well as Logan City Police there, and all of our volunteers get trained to handle situations and be upstanders,” Robinson said.
Another way they’ve attempted to keep the Howl safe is by creating a stricter capacity for the event and the dance, now only selling 5,500 tickets.
“We used to cap it at 7,000 tickets and they wouldn’t cap the dance, so there would be way to many people in the field house and it would get sketchy,” Robinson said. “Since we’ve scaled back the amount of people allowed at the Howl, it’s become a lot safer of an event. It allows our volunteers to have a better way to view the situation and it disperses the people, so if there’s a situation in the middle of a cluster of people, we’re more likely to be able to get there.”
The Howl, as the activities committee explained, is held in hopes of creating a space for students to escape the stressful college environment, have a good time, bond with their friends and meet new people, and they hope they achieved that for as many students as possible this year.
“I hope people leave the Howl saying ‘Wow, that was so much fun,’” Robinson said. “I want people to say they felt safe, they enjoyed the activities and dance, and that it was a positive experience and worth their time. That’s really what I hope for this year, and I think we can accomplish it.”
—nichole.bresee@aggiemail.usu.edu
@breseenichole