If you've been following the news or social media, you've likely heard about the clown sightings that have recently been spreading across the country. It first began in late August, in South Carolina, where a clown reportedly tried to lure a boy to a house the woods. Since then, the trend has grown wildly and clowns are being spotted on the daily in many states (it's spread even as far as the UK, in Wales). Sightings have already been reported in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, and more recently, on UNCG's campus.

Last week, rumors circulated that a clown was reportedly seen at UNCG around the high rise dorms area (Reynolds, Cone, and Grogan), by several students. Another was claimed to be spotted near the School of Education Building last Thursday by a student. The clown reportedly had red hair and a white face, with a teardrop and no nose. The incident was supposedly reported to campus police, but no word on if the perpetrator was ever caught.

To say that the recent clown incidents are bizarre is an understatement- I mean, CLOWNS? Why would people be dressing up as something as ridiculous as clowns, in public places, trying to evoke panic? To me, the answer is somewhat simple- I think some people are amused by the hysteria the clown epidemic has caused, and want to fuel the fire by dressing up as clowns themselves. I don't think the majority of people doing this intend to cause harm. They're just trying to give people a scare (and it's working). It's immature and simply distasteful.

So what can we do? I think panic over this situation is further fueling the fire, so if we stop talking about it and don't give them the reaction that they want, I'd like to think this epidemic would die down. I also think it's reasonable to say that dressing up as a clown this Halloween isn't a great idea. If you see a clown, or one tries to interact with or scare you, call the campus police immediately.