THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023
VOL. 107, ISSUE 10
Riots, unruly behavior, arrests lead to Unofficial Halloween in Carbondale
Salukis fold to Jacks; Southern falls 17-10 in Homecoming J Y game @
oei ounker jyounker dailyegyptian.com
Brandyn Wilcoxen @BrandynWilcoxen
As Saluki Stadium welcomed nearly 12,000 fans for Homecoming weekend, the Saluki football team fell short of a comeback effort against the No. 1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits. SIU lost 17-10, and dropped to 5-2, 2-2 on the season. Despite the odds against SIU, the team felt it was ready to compete on Saturday, and even possibly come away with an upset. “There’s not a moral victory,” head coach Nick Hill said. “Our guys definitely expected and believed to win the game.” The Saluki defense held strong for much of the game, limiting the unbeaten Jackrabbits to their lowest point total of the year. SDSU had previously scored at least 40 points in every game except for one: a matchup against No. 2 Montana State. Notably, Southern ended the Jackrabbits’ red zone scoring streak with a fourth-quarter interception by Mark Davis Jr. in the end zone. South Dakota State had scored on its last 70 consecutive red zone drives dating back to October 2022. “I felt like our defense just played their hearts out, and they have all season,” Hill said. “They competed, gave us a shot.” However, the Jackrabbits played just as tough on defense. It forced two turnovers from Saluki quarterback Nic Baker: an interception and a fumble. Both teams held each other scoreless in the first quarter. The only promising drive came at the beginning of the game; Southern converted on a fake punt to move the chains, but got stuffed on a 4th-and-short attempt later on at the edge of the red zone. The Jackrabbits broke through after a series of mistakes by Baker gave them good field position. Baker was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after a long run, and threw his lone interception on the next play, which HOMECOMING | 4
Newcomers to SIU might be confused by the existence of “Unofficial Halloween,” which is a relatively new tradition. Here’s a primer on how we got to have two different celebrations for the same spooky holiday. The 1970s were prime time for momentous parties in Carbondale. From police road barricades to Colks Wagons being rolled down Main Street, the early ‘70s were the beginning of the road to Unofficial Halloween. As the decades turned, the 1980s Halloween activities were broadcast on an NBC special, Roadside, hosted by comedian John Candy. As the ‘80s continued, the attendance of Halloween in Carbondale increased to tens of thousands of people. Wild costumes and big parties came with it. Party-goers saw Halloween as an opportunity to do whatever they wanted resulting in a lot of out of control behavior. Property damage of high expenses, sexual assault and injuries from a number of things resulted in Southern Illinois University banning alcohol sales during the time around the event. School organizations hosted other events in an attempt to lower the
Party-goers line the sidewalk as they wait to get into Stix Bar & Billiards during Unofficial Halloween early Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, on the Strip in Carbondale. Jacob Wiegand | @JacobWiegand_DE
rates of crime and injury during Halloween week. There was even a time when a panel of university faculty, community members and students voted for even more regulations during Halloween week. The University had canceled classes from Saturday through Wednesday,
but allowed the dorms to stay open. The only people allowed in the dorms were residents. Bars, restaurants and the only liquor store on the Strip were banned from selling alcohol and conducting business for the week, and the transportation of beer kegs was banned until Halloween
day at 2 a.m. In 1995, the Chicago Tribune wrote an article about the five-day break given to students in hopes of decreasing the damage caused by Halloween week. The Tribune said, “in recent years, UNOFFICIAL | 4
Heartbreaking loss of returning CAM graduate student, leaves students questioning Joei Younker jyounker@dailyegyptian.com
The dean of the College of Arts and Media called the death of graduate student Kevin Ford a “shock.” “Kevin was a student in CAM’s School of Architecture. He came back after 25 years in the workforce to continue his studies at SIUC. We were impressed by his eagerness to come back to school after all
these years,” Dean Hong Cheng wrote in an email. Cheng said CAM extends its deepest condolences to Ford’s family and friends. “While we mourn this loss in our CAM family, let us keep Kevin’s family and friends in our thoughts and prayers,” Cheng wrote. Earlier on Thursday, Chancellor Austin Lane sent out a schoolwide
email about Ford’s death. “We are broken-hearted to lose a member of the Saluki family,” Lane said in his message to students and staff. The email also reminded students of mental health support that is offered by the university. The connections he made in his time at Southern leave the university and students grieving. Since the message Thursday
afternoon, there has been no new information about Ford’s death or plans for a remembrance. The university has pledged to release information about funeral services and memorial arrangements as soon as they become available. Staff reporter Joei Younker can be reached at jyounker@dailyegyptian.com.
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