With Halloween just around the corner, many students are scrambling to find the right costume.

Not surprisingly, come Oct. 31, most costumes on campus will follow the tone of vulgarity. But while dressing in less certainly has its perks, students should heed caution heading into All Hallow’s Eve.

Just like any other day, though, indecent exposure rules apply.

‘You find students wearing very little to ridiculously very little,’ said Cpl. Kathy Pabis of the Department of Public Safety. ‘There’s lots of parties and kids have fun, for the most part.’

While it’s usually not an issue, Pabis said, there always exists the possibility of a student showing too much skin come the dress-up holiday.

Any public showing of the private parts – which includes breast for women – can result in students getting in trouble with Public Safety or the police.

‘You get students streaking across the Quad,’ Pabis said. ‘It’s weird. It’s never in the summer when its nice and warm out when they decide to do this.’

Still, Pabis understands that much of the exposure is done in good fun, but, she said, that doesn’t mean it isn’t punishable.

‘Is it illegal? Yes, because they’re exposing their private parts,’ Pabis said.

Pabis did offer somewhat of a solution.

‘You can wear skimpy clothes,’ she said, ‘and not be breaking the law.’

Published on October 25, 2004 at 12:00 pm