On Wed. Oct 25, students received an email from the Office of Campus Life and Leadership with news that echoed across the entire campus: this year’s Halloween Dance had been reformed.

The dance was set to begin at 9 p.m., an hour and a half earlier than the starting time in previous years. With the earlier start time came an earlier cut-off time for students to get in. No entrance or re-admittance to the dance was allowed after 10:30 p.m. In previous years, the cut-off time was midnight.

Many students expressed anger and disbelief over the time changes. Several students took to Twitter to speak out against one of the authors of the e-mail, Mark Godleski, the assistant dean for student development. Barb Karper, assistant vice president for student development, was the other author.

Kristen Hall, a sophomore, tweeted, “Godleski’s email made me forget I was an adult in college.”

Allen Prusinowski, a junior, also took to Twitter about the e-mail, saying, “When Godleski sends out emails about not drinking at the Halloween dance I’m just like don’t even say it cus we don’t even care.”

“My neighbors are bumping Creed and Nickelback and singing every line. This is what Godleski should be worried about,” Chris O’Keefe, a junior, tweeted the night of the dance.

Despite the new rule, LeeAnne Pedricick, a sophomore, said she doubts the new rule will curb binge drinking.

“I think everyone is going to drink as much as they can before the dance,” she said. “Students will drink more to have their drunk last as long as possible.”

Other students said it wasn’t just binge-drinkers that the new rule conflicted with.

“The start time conflicts with people’s work schedules,” Megan Ripley, a junior, said. “Some people have classes until 8:30, which doesn’t leave them much time to get ready for the evening activities.”

Still, Godleski said he stands by the college’s decision to push the times earlier.

“There is so much excitement about the dance, why delay it?” he said.

The Office of Campus Life and Leadership and the Le Moyne Student Programming Board [LSPB] join forces each year to create a dance that tries to appeal to all members of the Le Moyne populace, party-er and non-party-er.

“We’re really trying to sell this as a community event,” Godleski said. “And we want to be able to continue to run these events for the student body. I would hope that when students are questioning why we are doing these things, they would realize it’s done in their best interests and to ensure that we can keep having these events.”

Godleski also added that the earlier start time was not intended to stop binge drinking.

“I think no matter what cut-off time we have, the students will adjust their schedules as they feel they need to,” he said

The email also outlined possible grounds for removal from the dance, including suggestive dancing, violent language and intoxication. These behaviors could result not only in expulsion from the dance, but also a meeting with Godleski for disciplinary action.

The e-mail also gave out advice to students on seeking help when needed, lending a hand to a friend who is in trouble and knowing when to ask a staff member for help.

The annual Halloween Dance brings about 1500 students down to the Athletic Center for the festivities each year. Godleski said he had noticed that in past years, many students began leaving the dance around 12:30 a.m. By starting the dance at 9 p.m., the student development staff was attempting to cater to those who did not want to stay out too late.

While some students may have adjusted their schedules around the early kick off, many arrived just minutes before the 10:30 cut-off, causing a temporary delay and traffic jam for students trying to enter.

However, it seemed that the college’s warning of possible disciplinary action for inappropriate behavior served its purpose.

“The number of incidents reported was significantly less than last year,” Godleski said after the dance. “There were many individuals that helped with the dance. It was a wonderful example of teamwork.  There is always room for improvement and we will look to make adjustments with the check-in area and restroom availability in order to make next year’s event even better.”