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“Halloween is not satanic,” says Hans Broedel, a medieval historian at Hamilton, “They have absolutely nothing to do with one another. Halloween was originally the Celtic New Year which was Christianized in the Middle Ages.” Broedel explains that one of the hallmarks of Christianity is that they adopt other holidays as their own; Easter is another example of this. He says, “The Celtic New Year became All Saint’s Day, then All Souls and our Halloween. There is nothing Satanic about it at all.”

Hamilton College students will host the 12th annual Trust Treat -- a Halloween celebration for more than 200 Utica-area children, on the Hamilton College campus to provide a safe and fun evening of trick-or-treat on Halloween night, Oct. 31. The Utica children, with Hamilton student guides, will trick-or-treat on campus in the residence halls where costumed Hamilton students hand out candy and provide some fun tricks for the children. Some private societies and residence halls also will sponsor haunted houses during the evening.

Anthropology Professor Douglas Raybeck will discuss his fieldwork in Malaysia in a talk titled, "A Generation of Change in Kelantan, Malaysia: A 30 Year Slide Show," on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 4:30 p.m. in KJ 223. Everyone is welcome.

Anthropology Professor Douglas Raybeck was interviewed for a San Diego Union-Tribune article (Oct. 24) about the need for people to feel they're in control when dealing with technology. "Any technology that improves our control over our environment, or our perception of control, will sell like hotcakes," Raybeck said.

Café Opus will present an evening of live acoustic music on Thursday, Oct. 25, from 9-10:30 p.m. The performance will feature original songs and covers (including U2, Radiohead and REM) played by Andrea Higgins, a frequent performer at Virgo Bat & Leo Phrog's Coffeehouse in Utica, and the guitar and mandolin playing of Matt Stringer '03.

The Hamilton College Crew Team dedicated a new shell in memory of Matt Houlihan '03, a member of the crew team who died last year. The dedication took place in Boston, where the team was competing in the annual Head of the Charles Regatta.

For Hamilton College student Jessica Ambrose, what began two years ago as a project for an Issues in Education class has evolved into a formal journal-writing program geared to girls at six local middle schools.

The Hamilton Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and the BLSU held a penny drive following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The groups collected $277.95, which will be sent to the Salvation Army to assist with the WTC repair efforts in New York City.

Hamilton's Personnel office presents "What is a 529 Plan, and is it right for you?" as part of its financial planning series on Thursday, Oct. 25, at noon in The Hub, Bristol Campus Center. Honorine Wallack, a Certified Financial Planner with A.G. Edwards & Sons, will highlight the features of 529 Plans and the questions one should ask to determine if these plans are right for you.

A Humanities Forum featuring Associate Professor of History Tom Wilson will be held on Monday, Oct. 29, at 4 p.m. in the Red Pit. He will discuss Liturgies of Confucian Sacrifice.