Fall holds a special place in everyone’s hearts; for girls, it’s the pumpkin spice lattes, the comfy sweaters and those beautiful fall colors, and for boys, it’s the bonfires, apple pie moonshine and Sunday football. However, for both guys and girls, it means Halloween is on our doorsteps, both figuratively and literally.

On college campuses, Halloween is taken seriously in terms of costumes and people plan weeks or months in advance. There is a very colorful variety of costumes from the typical slutty bunny to walking genitalia. Some students even adopt the role of some Halloween creatures throughout fall months even proceeding winter, while others leave the personas behind once November arrives. For those who appear to have a “monster like” façade about them all year long, I am writing to you:         

First and foremost, is Dracula. This categorizes the people who are the late-nighters. These people hit up Lion every night and stay until close, and then proceed to hit up afties at some of their closest friends’ frats or apartments until 5 a.m. almost every night. These party goers spend their days in bed fast asleep, only waking up to stumble downstairs and consume some food around dinnertime, and then make their way back to bed. One can tell that these Dracula-esque individuals don’t see much daylight because their pale skin reflects the lights of Lion. 

The second monster that is prowling about U of I’s campus just happens to be Monster’s Inc.'s very own Mike Wazowski. Mike just happens to be the frat star or the big man on campus. He, or she, is cracking all the jokes at the hottest parties. His hilarious personality has the girls flocking to him, but he knows when to be the perfect wingman for his pal, Sulley. Mike Wazowski isn’t the type of guy whose hilarious personality just fades with the season; he is a real gem who you want in your repertoire of friends. Mike will be there for you in the good times and the bad. Plus, he will never fail to crack a joke that is oddly placed in a conversation, making things just a tad awkward for the third party. Nevertheless, you will want to keep this kid around. 

The third “monster” you will encounter this fall is that super hairy kid, the werewolf. Forget “No-Shave November,” this kid does the hairy scene 24/7, 365. This guy will spend all of October growing a pair of sick chops so he can be Hugh Jackman’s sexy alter ego, the Wolverine, for Halloween, but he will proceed to grow out his facial hair until he has to see his mom in December. He will eventually go from frat guy to full on mountain man within a month, so prepare yourself for this encounter. I know people don’t want to read this, but the werewolf principle doesn’t just apply to guys. Yes, there are girls who, as soon as legging weather rolls in and the weather entails cold winds and bitter cold, stop shaving their legs for that extra fluff to keep them warm in throughout winter. And yes boys, you need to prepare yourself for that too. 

Fall is an interesting time on a college campus. Weird things tend to happen when the temperatures drop and the days aren’t as long. Now that you know what to look for, you will see the interesting “monsters,” whether it be Dracula or Mike Wazowski, lurking on campus.