Be sure to make safe choices this month when it comes to alcohol and other drugs. For more information on how you can be safe this month, check out the plenty of tips that Alcohol & Other Drugs (AOD) has to offer.

• Avoid overindulgence by understanding your tolerance level and limiting your alcohol consumption. Learn more about blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and use a BAC calculator ahead of time to make a plan before drinking.
• Keep an eye on your drink at all times to prevent drink spiking, tampering, or accidental mix-ups.

Make It Home Safe:
Remember to make a plan for how you’re getting home before you head out for the night.

• Designate a sober driver or arrange for alternative transportation in advance. If you don’t have a designated driver, arrange for a rideshare, or know the LakerLine schedule and bus stops. Remember to travel in groups or use the buddy system for safety and support!

Substance-Free Fun: There are plenty of enjoyable and memorable Halloween activities you can partake in without using alcohol or other substances. Here are some ideas:

• Embrace the childlike spirit of Halloween by going trick-or-treating in your neighborhood or accompany younger family members.
• Visit a haunted house attraction or create your own haunted house experience at home with friends and family.
• Get creative by visiting a pumpkin patch and carving or painting pumpkins.
• Set up a cozy movie night and binge-watch your favorite horror films or classic Halloween movies with friends.
• Remember, Halloween can be just as fun, if not more so, when enjoyed sober!

Avoid Mixing Substances: Mixing different substances, like alcohol, prescription medications, and recreational drugs, can be extremely dangerous. It can impair judgment, awareness, and decision-making, worsen your mental health, and have legal consequences. Be safe, smart, and responsible by thinking twice before you mix substances with alcohol.

Looking to wear your Laker blue heart on your sleeve this Halloween? Dress to show your GV spirit! Grand Valley inspired costumes like Louie the Laker, the Transformational Link, or an anchor are full-proof costumes that will help you win a costume contest. 

Whatever you decide to dress up as, be conscious and respectful of other cultures. Cultural appropriation can include altering skin tone, leaning into a stereotype, and reducing traditional clothing, customs, and practices to an aesthetic without respect to their importance. To avoid harming others with your costume, do not alter your skin tone, examine your motives, question the humor in your choice, and refrain from packaging with words like, "traditional," "ethnic," "colonial," "cultural," "authentic," or "tribal."

Grand Valley can be scary beautiful in the fall. Take in the sights of colorful trees across campus. Take a hike in the ravines, have a coffee date in the arboretum, and study with scenery in the Mary Idema Pew library’s reading rooms.

This autumn season, h(a)unt for a secret study spot on campus like the Kirkhof Solarium, outdoor seating outside of Calder, the first floor of the Fieldhouse, and outside of the Rec Center. 

If midterms are still haunting you, find a spot with a boo-tiful view of the changing leaves like the Seidman House, Eberhard Center, the arboretum, Henry Hall, and Zumberge Pond. Just make sure to not get scared by these GVSU myths.

Lift your spirits downtown and around West Michigan at fall events. Visit Experience GR's Fall Color Tour, drink delicious cider, and listen to cryptic ghost stories at a GR Haunted tour. Don’t miss out on these fa-boo-lous things to do around campus!

Pumpkin spice up your routine by checking out the Wellness Information Team (WIT) cart around campus. The WIT is always creepin’ it real with info about nutrition, sexual health, stress management, and Halloween Wellness Kits. 

Filled with condoms, fidget toys, stickers, candy, coloring pages, wellness information, and more, you can pick one up around the Allendale campus on Oct. 31 from 8-10 p.m at this Celebrating Safely event.