NU to students: No offensive Halloween costumes (pimps and hos are a no-no)

Chicago Tribune ^ | October 27, 2010 | Stacy St. Clair

[ConservativeStatement]

Despite their lofty SAT scores and sterling academic credentials, some Northwestern University students apparently need remedial instruction when it comes to selecting appropriate Halloween costumes.

In an e-mail sent to the campus late Monday, Dean of Students Burgwell Howard warned against wearing racially or culturally insensitive costumes this weekend. He also discouraged "ghetto," "pimps and hos" and "gangsta" parties at the esteemed Evanston university.

"Halloween is unfortunately a time when the normal thoughtfulness and sensitivity of most NU students can be forgotten and some poor decisions are made," Howard wrote.

The directive follows a 2009 incident in which two students attended a Halloween party in black face and pictures of their costumes appeared on Facebook. The photos sparked outrage at the university and prompted a public forum to discuss racism on the predominately white campus.

In a similar 2007 episode, two Ph. D. students posted pictures of themselves in blackface around Halloween.

[ConservativeStatement]

You can go as Starsky. You can go as Hutch. But put away the Huggy Bear costume.

[JimRed]

How about a burqua?

[JimRed]

How about a burqua?

[Hodar]

You can go as Alfalfa. You can go as Spanky. But put away the Buckwheat costume.

[ConservativeStatement]

And what about these hos?

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Also prohibited are:

Witches (might be offensive to wiccans).
Mummies (might be offensive to Egyptian-Americans).
Werewolves (might be offensive to PETA).
Zombies (might be offensive to Haitian-Americans).

Dracula and Frankenstein are okay since they are both (literally) dead white males.

[Vaquero]

This guy can go as a giant dooooooshbag...except he would not even need a costume.

[fredhead]

Here's a perennial favorite that should offend nobody.

[BenLurkin]

[BenLurkin]

[fredhead]

No-no!!!! No guns on campus!!!!!

[windcliff]

French Maid costumes were a big hit at school last year.

[BenLurkin]

[BenLurkin]

[BenLurkin]

[Krankor]

There’s certainly nothing wrong with giving students advice, and you really have to be a moron to dress in “black face” but, what a student wears at a private, off campus party , is really none of the school’s business. A kid has every right to wear an offensive costume and post the pictures on the net if he wants to. By the same token, anyone who sees it (including potential future employers), has the right to be offended- and say so! The idea the school has the right to enforce some kind of speech code or thought code or costume code on students off campus, is more offensive than any costume.

[massgopguy]

I went to a party at a local establishment two years ago in a Black Heavy Metal Wig, a Doug Flutie 22 game jersey, jeans and Spotbuilt coach’s shoes. It was me 20 years ago. However it wasn’t an original idea. A bartender there did it first.

[BenLurkin]

That rules this one out...

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I imagine that this will be as effective as demanding that females dress “demurely”, and do not in any way dress in a “slutty” manner, which would be offensive to slut-Americans.

Other costumes that are P.C. offensive:

ghost/Klansman
Nazi
Native American
Mexican bandito
Furry
Ninja (offensive to Orientals)
Pirate (offensive to Somalis)
Witch/Wiccan
Zombies (offensive to the voting dead)
Any copyright protected character

Anything not on this list needs pre-approval.

Approved for use: George W. Bush mask, but not Obama.

[dartuser]

Now THATS a costume !!!!