Monster Ball. Photo by Jo Elliott
By Jo Elliott ’28 and Caroline Grace ’27
Staff Writers
With Halloween having passed by on campus, the Mount Holyoke community has reflected on how they spent their spooky weekend. While many students attended student-run parties both on and off campus, Mount Holyoke News interviewed students who preferred alternative festivities, including the beloved Monsters Ball.
The Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra, led by Tianhui Ng, hosted the annual Monsters Ball orchestra concert on Oct. 31. The orchestra featured musicians from within the Mount Holyoke community, including students and faculty members, as well as from the Five College Consortium. Attendees were encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to the event.
Costumes ranged from historical to post modern, popular culture references to paranormal figures, and both domestic and prehistoric animals. The Halloween theme of the evening extended to the decoration in the room, featuring a large blow up spider in front of Chapin Auditorium and another blow up animal on the stage accompanying the piano.
The orchestra was also joined by guest players Lynn Lovell and James MacDonald in the bass section. Multiple members of the orchestra board played in the orchestra across class years, from sophomores to seniors, including participants in the flute, cello, violin, piccolo and viola sections, among others. Other guest players included Bohdan Markiw and Sorana Scarlet playing bassoon and harp, respectively. Wei Zhang ’28 played the piano.
During Monsters Ball, participants were encouraged to dance and were taught the waltz. “The music [is] incredible. I think the dancing is very cute. I think it’s nice to have something with a theme like this,” Bee Edmonds ’26 said of the performance.
Other attendees echoed Edmonds’ enjoyment of the event. “It feels like I’m in a book,” Celia Senuta ’28 said about the ball.
Many interviewees saw the event as more of a “laid back” way to enjoy Halloween this year. Students found comfort in the substance-free zone and the community-based, school-sanctioned event. “I think it’s nice that they have opportunities that aren't your traditional college party where it's really heavy on substance use,” Mimi Nomikos ’28 stated.
Other students agreed with Nomikos. “I don’t drink or smoke, and I like a lot of classical music, so I thought [that] this would be a fun thing to go to,” Edmonds said. “[Traditional parties] really [are] not my thing, but I don’t blame anybody else for it being their thing.”
Yuna Antal ’25 said, “It’s a fun event and it’s still chill and fun without [the] sort of the craziness that you’ll see at the other places.”
Students told Mount Holyoke News that attending a festive event hosted by the school alleviates some of the concerns that they have about substance use at parties. “Love the dancing, love the energy, love the sweating. I do not love the weed,” Senuta stated. She felt that school-sanctioned festivities are “much more controlled [and] less dangerous” than student-hosted parties.
Seunta even went as far as to say that the “first and only time I went to a [traditional] college party, there was so much weed that my clothes had to be washed, my hair had to be washed and [so did I]. I didn’t have any, but it would have seemed like I did because I smelled like it so much.”
Despite these concerns, research has shown that out of all the generations, Gen Z has been notably and significantly decreasing their drug usage. A report conducted by Emily Stearn, a health reporter for MailOnline, found that “drug use among students has fallen to the lowest level in a decade,” with many substances such as alcohol and cannabis “massively falling out of favor with Gen Z,” according to Daily Mail.
Another study by Cleveland Clinic found that there was a rise in college students abstaining from alcohol, with “28 percent of college students in 2018 [reporting] that they abstained from alcohol” compared to 20 percent in 2002.
Some of the current theories of why Gen Z is drinking less include mental health awareness, healthier lifestyles and education, Cleveland Clinic reported. However, it doesn’t completely solve the problems or concerns of binge drinking, addiction or possible overdose.
Also found in the study was “a ‘clean living’ lifestyle” embraced by many in Gen Z, which makes healthier choices when it comes to eating and drinking, as well as the “numerous programs aimed at school-aged children [that] warn about the dangers of alcohol use,” according to Cleveland Clinic.
“There’s always some risk when there’s drinking and drugs,” Edmonds ’26 stated.
“Everyone’s like, ‘freedom,’ and then it crashes on them a bit too hard sometimes and I can imagine people go a little bit overboard at times,” Seunta said.
“I don't think there’s anything wrong with traditional parties, whatever floats your boat, whatever makes you happy,” Nomikos said. “[But] sometimes it can be very overwhelming, like [there’s] a lot of people, but then also you have to figure out how are you going to get there, how are you going to get back, what happens when you miss the PVTA.”
Tessa Martin ’26 said, “[I] never want to yuck someone down you know, I think both [traditional parties and school sanctioned events] can be a blast around other [people], as long as everyone’s safe.”
For students who feel more comfortable in substance-free spaces, and those who simply need to be ready for class the next day, events like the Monsters Ball are great for all students. “There’s just a difference between how people are having fun, sober fun versus potentially not sober fun, like [at the Ball], everyone’s just having fun,” Jo Singleton ’26 said. “It’s a nice little event on campus and it’s welcoming for everyone.”
Leah Dutcher ’28 contributed fact-checking.