SDSU’s (South Dakota State College back then) enrollment was dramatically decreased and its reputation damaged after the 1892 Halloween Revolt.

“It took 19 years for enrollment to fully rebound,” Amy Dunkle reports in her book, The College on the Hill.

The South Dakota Board of Regents fired six beloved instructors in order to make room for new ones. That’s when the student body shared their opinion on the issue.

The SDSU President at the time was Lewis McClouth. He promoted several friends to positions at SDSU. Students declared the new instructors inadequate.

A September 1891 issue of the Industrial Collegian describes one new staff members, “He has no culture, no general education and his speech betrays his utter ignorance of even the elements of English grammar.”

In protest, the women of SDSU made a black flag with skull and cross-bones that stated the motto, “Me taedit vitae,” which translates into, “My weary life.”

On Oct. 31, 1892, the men of SDSU gathered to build a pile of combustible material over 15-feet high for a bonfire in the drive near the flagstaff.

With the sounding of the bell at 2 a.m., the kerosene-drenched pile was lit and the flag was raised.

The students wanted to be heard, and they were. The deafening blast of a Civil War cannon got the attention of the city before the fire.

“It was the first time in the history of the college that the students demanded to be listened to,” said V.J. Smith, former director of the Alumni Association.

The students involved retreated before they could be caught by McClouth and did not discuss anything related to the event to keep themselves out of trouble.

When spring semester began, it was announced that the beloved instructors had been permanently terminated from their jobs at South Dakota State College.

A mass meeting was held by the enraged students to write a letter of their disapproval to the Argus Leader. The letter was angry and critical of the Board of Regents and McClouth.

More than half the student body left the school to show their disgust with the Board of Regents and their decisions.

An ultimatum was issued. If the students were not back within three days of leaving, they would be kicked out permanently by the governor.

Even with this threat, most of the students did not return. They enrolled in different schools and swore to never go back to SDSC.

This large protest finally encouraged an investigation of why the students were so upset. They were found to be right in being upset by the decisions made by the school.

“It took a lot of guts to do what they did,” said Smith.

Halloween is upon us once again. October is the month of caramel apples, pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating and of course, horror movies.

The classics still leave the biggest impressions on their audience, so when Oct, 31 rolls around, and you are looking for a good, scary movie, consider the following:

1. Psycho (1960)- Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh and based on Robert Bloch’s novel. A young woman (Leigh) is on the run when she encounters the Bates Motel, owned by Norman Bates (Perkins). Fun Fact: The “blood” from the famous shower scene is Hershey’s chocolate syrup.

2. The Shining (1980)- Directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall and based on Stephen King’s novel. Weird things occur when a family spends the winter in an isolated hotel in the mountains of Colorado. Fun Fact: The Stanley Hotel, located in Estes Park, Colo., was the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel.

3. Halloween (1978)- Directed by John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence. Michael Myers, a psychotic man institutionalized since childhood, escapes and goes on a killing spree. His doctor (Pleasence) frantically tries to find him before he murders any more innocent people. Laurie (Curtis) is just a young girl who gets in Myers’ way. Fun Fact: During the scene when Laurie is walking home and sees Myers, cigarette smoke from the director’s cigarette can be seen floating into view.

4. The Exorcist (1973)- Directed by William Friedkin, starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and Lee J. Cobb and based on William Peter Blatty’s novel. When a teenage girl is possessed, her mother (Burstyn) seeks the help of two priests (Sydow and Jason Miller). Fun Fact: Rubber mats are visible on the steps for the famous fall-down-the-staircase scene.

5. Alien (1979)- Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt and Sigourney Weaver. A mining ship lands on an unknown planet. The crew members investigate and encounter an alien that unleashes terror upon their ship. Fun Fact: When trying to abort the countdown, the cancellation instructions Ripley (Weaver) follows with her finger are actually just a French translation of the detonation instructions she followed earlier.

6. The Thing (1982)- Directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell. A group of American scientists encounters a shape-shifting alien that takes the forms of the people it kills. Fun Fact: When the Norwegian is in the U.S. base on the medical table, the “dead” man can be seen to blink once.

7. Dawn of the Dead (1978)- Directed by George A. Romero and starring David Emge and Ken Foree. This film is the sequel to Night of the Living Dead. Four people try to escape the zombies that have risen from the dead by taking refuge in a deserted mall. Fun Fact: When Roger runs out of a truck and back toward the mall, one particular zombie in a red-and-black striped shirt gets out of character and decides to tuck in his shirt.

8. 28 Days Later (2002)- Directed by Danny Boyle and starring Cillian Murphy. An incurable virus infects the United Kingdom. Weeks later, the few survivors try to seek refuge. Fun Fact: During the first shot of Centre Point at Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street, on the left side of the screen, a man can clearly be seen changing the bags of a dustbin.

9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)- Directed by Jonathon Demme, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster and based on Thomas Harris’ novel. A young FBI agent (Foster) needs the help of an imprisoned, cannibalistic killer (Hopkins) in order to catch a serial killer. Fun Fact: Both Foster and Hopkins won Academy Awards for their roles in this film.

10. The Descent (2005)- Directed by Neil Marshall. A group of women go on a caving expedition and get trapped. They are then feasted upon by strange blood-thirsty creatures. Fun Fact: A sequel that starts off where the first movie ended will be released in 2010.

If you are not a fan of being scared but want a good movie to watch on Halloween, you can stick with the satirical horror movies such as Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (1974) or Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead (2004).

Now, SDSU students can indulge in inexpensive, hot, speedy food at all hours of the night, every night of the week.

This fall, McDonald’s has decided to change its limited late-night business hours to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We want to provide another source for [SDSU] students, because the only other places open 24/7 are gas stations,” said Jordan Hartshorn, a manager at McDonald’s.

The fast-food chain is hoping to appeal to students who want a late-night meal and not just a snack.

McDonald’s – which is located just south of campus on Sixth Street and 16th Avenue – provides a special “Late Night Menu” limited to Big N’ Tasty, Quarter Pounder (double or single), any wrap, breakfast burritos or hotcakes. Limited staff members, the need to provide quicker service and having to shut down equipment for daily cleaning are some of the reasons behind the restricted menu options. Nonetheless, McCafe options will also be available in the small hours of the night.

Sophomore Samantha Heesch thinks McDonald’s made a good choice but is concerned that the convenience can have a negative outcome.

“It’s a good and a bad thing. If nothing else is open at midnight and you’re hungry it’s a great place to go,” stated Heesch. “It just might be too tempting for late night snacks.”

Since the lobby closes at 10 p.m., walk-up ordering in the drive-thru is allowed and encouraged. Not only did McDonald’s base this decision on the appetites of SDSU students, but also out of concern for students’ safety.

“We allow walk-ups in the drive-thru late at night in order to help prevent drunk driving,” said Hartshorn. “We don’t want customers to be limited to just driving.”

Second year English major, Tiffany Young thinks that the walk-up feature is a smart move.

“I love the late-night drive-thru option,” said Young. “Mostly, I like the fact that they don’t mind if people walk [up to] the drive-thru. It’s really fun.”

Junior journalism major Kate Wegehaupt plans to take advantage of the new hours during late-night study sessions.

“I’m sure there are a lot of people who will take advantage of the new McDonald’s offer,” said Wegehaupt. “I’ll keep it in mind if I ever have midnight French fry cravings.”

The added business hours mean that there are more positions available. McDonald’s is hiring for the overnight shifts as well as its day hours.

“Whether we’re hiring or not, we typically like to meet with [applicants] so we can get to know them in case any positions open up [in the future],” said Hartshorn when asked about applying for a job.

Other fast-food businesses don’t plan to follow suit. Burger King and Arby’s have no plans to change their hours any time soon, managers said.

#1.881477:1024139639.jpg:mcdonald’s1.jpg:Brookings’ local McDonald’s is now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for SDSU students to satisfy their midnight munchies. :Mackenzie Clayton