There are a handful of times each year when the University gets blood-thirsty over some campus-wide event, holiday or celebration. With Oct. 31 nearly upon us, this weekend is one of those times.

We all love Halloween and all of the fun it has to offer. We get the opportunity to either splurge on an unnecessarily expensive costume from Spirit Halloween Store or pull together an odd assortment of clothes in our closet in a desperate attempt for cheap Halloween apparel.

Halloween is celebrated in a variety of ways on this campus — some drink, dress up and party, many simply underdress, and the rest, of course, march as zombies. Or there is the alternative, but equally fun, route of basking in the sugar-bliss of Reese’s peanut butter cup and Snickers bar overindulgence while watching “Hocus Pocus.”

Regardless of how students choose to celebrate, and as we’ve done in past editorials during this time of year, we want to encourage everyone to proceed with caution when partaking in Halloween festivities this weekend. Of course, we know students are not dumb. We have all been warned of the importance of making safe and smart choices, and we know what dictates good and bad decisions. However, that doesn’t stop people, whether students or otherwise, from making some spooky choices. 

And because of all of the campus alerts that we have been all too aware of over the past several weeks — from a high amount of robberies and mob action to the two costumed men with fake knives scaring people on the Quad — we know that crime is, unfortunately, alive and well here at the University.  

With the number of students that will be wandering the streets this weekend, some with maybe a little too much “apple cider” in their systems, it is essential to have heightened awareness and caution while celebrating. We cannot stop others from committing crimes, but we can make personal choices to promote our own safety. 

As such, the biggest piece of advice we advise to students is that they stay in groups when walking to and from their party venues. There is something significant to be said about safety in numbers, and it is vital to avoid isolated areas during late hours of the night.

But, of course, sometimes these circumstances happen unintentionally, so students ought to be aware of their available resources should they be stuck in situations alone.

SafeRides and SafeWalks are invaluable services to have, and their phone numbers can be found on the back of students’ i-cards. Don’t be afraid to call these services or hit up a friend to accompany you on your ventures from location to location. 

In addition, remember to have a heightened awareness of where you are and whom you are with and try to go out with a plan of action. Make smart decisions about drinking and watch out for yourself and your friends. 

Don’t just take our word for it — local police are advising the same. The University of Illinois Police Department as well as the Champaign Police Department have issued a list of other safety tips that students should be aware of. 

In addition, there will be officers dressed in plain clothes and uniforms on campus this weekend, according to Capt. Roy Acree of the University of Illinois Police Department, so students can be on the lookout for them as well, should they need any help. On that note, we assume people will be able to tell the difference between a real uniform and a bright blue, spandex cop costume accompanied with plastic handcuffs. Use your best judgment, folks.

At the risk of sounding too preachy, let us reiterate the importance of looking out for each other. Halloween is a notorious holiday that comes with risks and warnings that are present across all campuses, but for the University, it comes after a recent spike in campus crime.

This weekend is something that can be full of fun and celebration, and it is one of the only nights of the year where you will not be completely judged if you eat a full bowl of fun-sized candy bars and call it dinner — but we say forget the haters, everyone needs a chocolate-induced food coma once in a while, Halloween or not. 

Let the fear evoked on Halloween be because of a scary costume, or a horribly bad one, and not because of campus danger.