Although SIUC administrators recognize that Halloween was peaceful this year, fall break has been maintained for the 1998-1999 calendar because Halloween remains a concern for administrators and student leaders alike.

It was maintained because we are convinced it is still an issue that all of us as a University and community will continue to address, SIUC Chancellor Donald Beggs said. This is an ongoing thing for us as an institution and community, and we need to provide a positive environment for everyone.

The break is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Nov. 1.

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Beggs ultimately decided to maintain the break after seeking input from student government, the faculty union and other University organizations.

Dave Vingren, Undergraduate Student Government president, said there is almost unanimous USG support for Beggs’ decision to maintain fall break.

I’m not convinced that the Halloween reputation we have is completely forgotten outside of Carbondale and SIU, he said. If there is class and the University stays open, people from other Universities will trek down here on Halloween weekend and cause problems.

It’s not worth the risk to get rid of it.

Although 32 citations ranging from indecent exposure to underage possession were issued on the weekend prior to Halloween, the crowds were relatively peaceful. In last year’s riots, there were more than 30 arrests, many for violent behavior, and more than $10,000 in damage to property.

Carbondale City Councilman Larry Briggs is disappointed that fall break is being continued but said he understands the University’s predicament.

My guess is they’ll try to keep fall break on for as long as it looks effective for them, and that’s their job, he said. But we need to look at the possibility of getting along without fall break, and I’d like to see them put it down to see if we can’t get by without it.

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Briggs said a Halloween event co-sponsored by the city and University could occur in later years.

We need to start talking about this as early as possible and look at alternatives to fall break, he said.

Briggs, an SIUC associate professor in art and design, is meeting with Beggs this week to discuss the development of a controlled Halloween event jointly sponsored by the city and University.

Briggs also is meeting with John Jackson, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and provost, to discuss a Halloween event, but Jackson, like Beggs, said such an event may be too soon.

To declare victory and say we no longer have a problem may be premature, Jackson said. Certainly this Halloween helps. But we are not at the point that we the administration should jump right in and start the old Halloween tradition of the 70s.

We should get through 98 and see what happens.

Briggs said the peaceful Halloween was more than just a one- year fluke and that it is representative of a change in values and attitudes of the students.

I think we got lucky, sure, but it was a very controlled atmosphere and a totally different attitude on the street, he said. I really think the people were out there to have a good time.

In 1995 as part of a city/University plan, SIUC administrators committed to scheduling fall breaks through 1999. When the bar-entry age was lowered from 21 to 19 in July, the necessity of a fall break was questioned.

Beggs said that when deciding whether to maintain fall break, many options were discussed including incorporating the days off in fall break into a longer Thanksgiving break. He said overwhelming support for the break, however, led him to maintain it.

There’s a lot of sentiment that there needs to be a break in fall semester, he said.

In a related matter, the calendar also provides a four-week break between fall and spring semester. A calendar revision in February shortened by one week this year’s winter break to three weeks.

Jim Sullivan, faculty union president, said the union requested the break be kept at four weeks. He said faculty and students benefit from the four-week break.

For faculty it is more conducive to wrapping up the previous semester and planning for the new one, he said. Students need this time to gain employment and to reflect on what they’ve learned.

Education is not an assembly-line process and students need time to think about where they have been and where they are going, and this hiatus provides the opportunity to do that.

Beggs said now that the calendar has been developed, the University will work to release summer 1998 and fall 1998 class schedule guides.

The 1998 fall break is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Nov. 1.