It was truly a picturesque autumn night. Not too cool, not too warm either. Leaves gently rolled along David Baker Avenue, occasionally being knocked about by eager children hustling to their next stop for more candy. Familiar spooky tunes thumped outside each house along the street, almost drowned out by the excited squeals. It was the night of IU’s Treats with Greeks event, and as usual, it drew an impressive crowd.
Both IU sorority and fraternity members and local Bloomington children participated in the event, which aims to provide a service and community-building opportunity for students and a safe road to trick-or-treat on for kids.
Q&A with Connor Lang, an IU fraternity member.
The event is voluntarily operated by participants and attended by the children. But according to many in the Bloomington community, it’s necessary if you want trick-or-treating to be more fun than dangerous.
“I think it’s the nature of it being a college town,” said Connor Lang, a current IU fraternity member and past Treats with Greeks volunteer. “No one really pays attention to traffic signs, the street lighting is terrible. Just not a good spot for kids who want to go out on Halloween.”
Apart from providing a more secure avenue for Halloween fun, Treats for Greeks has a deeper, more sentimental value–a good old-fashioned love of kids.
Treats with Greeks is considered one of the most popular Greek-affiliated events on or off-campus. Gavin Freda, president of the Intrafraternity Council (IFC) at IU, says the event “is one of our favorites for sure. It always runs smoothly and both the kids and our members really enjoy it.”
Despite not participating in the event this year, Freeman said it’s one of his favorite memories from his time in a fraternity.
“It’s just as much for them as it is for us,” Lang said. “I just like seeing how happy the kids get and how proud they are of their costumes and all that. Just warms your heart up, you know?”
