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ANALYSIS
President Donald Trump seems to have helped Make Halloween Great Again.
Under his anti-politically correct administration — which has ardently warned administrators to stop pushing divisive DEI concepts — colleges and universities across the U.S. seem to have eased up on their once-prevalent admonitions regarding offensive Halloween costumes.
Instead — they’re planning pumpkin carving workshops, costume contests and door decoration events, according to a recent keyword internet search by The College Fix.
A keyword search for admonitions from campus leaders on offensive Halloween costumes this month came up empty, a stark contrast to trends from the past decade.
For many years, campus leaders made it their mission in October to warn students what not to wear, with “unacceptable costumes” including “wearing Native American headdresses, dressing up as a ‘Mexican’ by wearing a sombrero, dressing as a ‘geisha,’ any form of blackface.”
Students were chided against committing a “cultural appropriation” offense if the outfit did not originate from one’s own culture.
Posters declaring “it’s a culture, not a costume” used to pepper quads nationwide, with special workshops hosted on campuses to hammer home the point.
For instance, Princeton University held its “Conversation Circles: Cultural Appropriation and Halloween” event in 2017, in which students learned about “the impact of cultural appropriation, Halloween, and why culture is not a costume.”
The University of South Indiana hosted a “Culture not Costumes” Halloween workshop that argued “clothing, symbols, music, art, religion, language, and social behavior” are all elements of cultural appropriation, warning students not to dress as “Pocahotties” and “sexy Indian Princesses” if they do not come from such cultures.
Furman University in South Carolina was put on the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s “Speech Code of the Month” in October 2019 after it threatened students with investigation if they “encourage people to wear costumes or act in ways that reinforce stereotypes or are otherwise demeaning.”
The University of Texas at Austin at one point even issued a 29-point checklist on offensive Halloween costumes and inappropriate party themes, telling students to avoid “exotic” or “unique” themes, warning against “Cowboys and Indians,” as well as “tropical” or “fiesta” concepts.
For 2025, The College Fix found one single university that chided students.
Michigan State University’s Inclusive Excellence and Impact division in September reposted a 2021 story that stated: “For many visible and invisible identities, Halloween summons more than ghouls and goblins. While most think of Halloween as a time to dress in costume and celebrate all things spooky, it can also become grounds for racist, sexist, ableist, culturally insensitive and biased behaviors.”
But far more prevalent this month are costume and decorating events, parties and contests, according to search results.
Asked to weigh in on the observation, higher education pundit Steve McGuire with the American Council of Trustees and Alumni told The College Fix: “Whether we are witnessing a real vibe shift is something only time will tell, but it is possible that the effort to micromanage things like student Halloween costumes is losing some of its cultural inertia. We can hope that people have grown weary of trying to live under the tyranny of Puritanical scrutiny.”
McGuire said he believes that other possible explanations could be “the removal of DEI staff and programs in many institutions, since these would have often been responsible for sending out messages policing such trivialities. At the same time, people might be simply keeping their hands down under the current administration.”
McGuire said under a different administration, things could circle back.
“While we might be enjoying a reprieve, it could be brief if colleges and universities refuse to acknowledge the need for significant reforms and undertake the hard work of turning themselves into true forums for diversity of thought and the free exchange of ideas,” he said.
At the end of the day, colleges and universities do not violate any laws by warning against Halloween costumes, but it goes against their pledge to uphold freedom of expression, a Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression spokesman told The College Fix.
“We have seen various colleges put out messages to students warning against wearing subjectively offensive costumes,” Laura Beltz, director of policy reform at FIRE, told The College Fix. “While colleges are within their rights to ask students to consider whether or not to wear a particular costume, that sort of guidance could have a chilling effect…especially so if the message says that wearing offensive costumes could violate university policy.”
MORE: College posts contact info of 5 officials standing by to tell students if their costume’s offensive
