Students, this is a time for some of us to seriously reconsider our attitudes towards the pandemic.

This past Saturday, on Halloween, selective groups of students– both on campus and off– partied all night long, festively drinking and showing off impressive costumes. In apartments, around campus and on Snapchat, college students were celebrating everywhere. 

It felt normal and familiar, but the world isn’t normal or familiar anymore, and students can’t bury their heads in the sand just because it’s Halloween. Whether it be a stress-prompted dash toward a shred of normalcy or willful ignorance, there is no justification. 

This partying is understandable, if inexcusable. It’s a Saturday night, it’s Halloween, and this one of the last weekends before the harsh Michigan winter begins. It must have seemed like an ideal time to don a Joe Exotic costume and invite a few friends over.

We are calling on GVSU students to be more responsible post-Halloween. Children all around the nation stayed inside and missed out on one of the most exciting nights of the year in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus; if a kid can miss out on trick or treating, you could have missed out on an evening of socializing with your friends. 

Grand Valley was under a Stay-At-Home order only a few weeks ago. We covered it as the story broke, and it was picked up by The New York Times. This is a national issue and we’re a part of the trend. 

It’s obvious what this could lead to; Grand Valley State University has been through a two-week Staying in Place order and a two-week Staying Safe order. The last time we saw a surge of socialization and travel, it led to a spike in local cases, which affected not just students, but the Allendale community.

The GVSU community could certainly see another spike that is directly caused by the irresponsibility of those with less self-control than elementary school students.

Expect to see a spike in cases after this weekend in Michigan, as on the afternoon of Halloween, Michigan reported its new high of single-day COVID-19 cases, with 3,792 Michiganders being diagnosed on Hallow’s Eve.

For the safety of fellow students, let this be the last major partying weekend of the calendar. With the shift to online classes on the horizon, students don’t have much time left on campus. We shouldn’t spend it in lockdown.