BC student gov circulates 'Dress with Respect' pledge for Halloween
The Undergraduate Government of Boston College and the Ahana Leadership Council at Boston College emailed students Friday to ask them to “take the pledge to Dress with Respect!”
“Halloween can and should be fun, but for everyone,” the email states. “To take someone’s culture and belittle it by making your Halloween costume is not only degrading, but can also be hurtful to members of the BC community.”
The email then provides three examples of costumes that the organizations believe students should not wear, specifically Geishas, Mexicans, and Native Americans.
The email recommended that students not “incorporate the Mexican culture into” their costumes, asserting that “these costumes reduce a rich and vibrant culture to mustaches, margaritas and sombreros,” but claim that “it is okay to dress up as food that we love such as burritos, tacos, and CHIPOTLE.”
The Ahana Leadership Council also announced its “Dress With Respect” Halloween costume contest, where students can submit pictures of their “respectful Halloween costume” for the chance to win prizes.
“I find it silly that undergraduates fear being offended by the slightest things,” Boston College law student Elliott Hamilton told Campus Reform. “This is Halloween. People should be free to dress as they please. If you’re too offended to have fun, you’re missing out on some of the best four years of your life.”
The email also included the Undergraduate Government of Boston College’s Mission Statement.
“The Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) is a student government created to enrich the lives of students attending Boston College. Its purpose is to serve on behalf of student’s interests and to help cultivate an engaged and caring student community. Furthermore, the student government works to actualize the rights and responsibilities of students to the greater community, while promoting growth academically, socially and spiritually.”
“Remember, a culture is NOT a costume,” the email concludes.
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