UF is reminding students to be mindful of their Halloween costume choices.
In Monday’s Gator Times and an email sent out by the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs, students were told some Halloween costumes can be offensive.
"Regardless of intent, these costumes can perpetuate negative stereotypes, causing harm and offense to groups of people," according to the email.
The message was sent out a week earlier than in previous years to give students more time to plan their costumes and parties, said Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Mary Kay Carodine. She wanted to make sure incidents like the recent controversial Chi Omega "trap queen" photo didn’t happen again.
"It’s an attempt to have people be cognizant of the impact of their decisions," she said.
Carodine said there have been incidents over the last three years of students showing up to parties in blackface, where students painted their faces to dress like African-American figures.
UF Panhellenic Council President Maria Carter said the Greek community receives messages like this before big events or holidays.
"We’re always trying to educate our members," the 21-year-old telecommunication senior said.
UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes wrote in an email that UF wanted to remind students some costumes and party themes can unintentionally hurt others.
Contact Alexandra Fernandez at afernandez@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @alexmfern