Halloween came and went rather quietly on campus this year, according to University Police, who reported few on-campus incidents for at least the second year in a row.

University Police Sgt. Chris Kirchman said officers responded to just four incidents on campus during Halloween this year, compared to three incidents last year. He didn’t give any earlier statistics, but said that Halloween has been a fairly quiet affair in recent years.

“As far back as I can remember . I don’t remember a Halloween that we’ve had a lot of problems,” Kirchman said. “Obviously we’ve had some more calls come in some Halloweens, but for the most part we haven’t had a big problem with Halloween – at least here with the University Police.”

Reports of activity off campus this year are mixed, with some students saying the night was as busy as Homecoming and others comparing it more to a typical weekend.

Dooley’s Pub owner Michael Dooley said Halloween this year was fairly slow for him, adding he suspects more students were at house parties than at bars.

“A lot of times when big holidays are over a weekend,” Dooley said, “house parties are more popular.”

Students gave varying accounts of the off-campus atmosphere. Senior Katie Brackey said the night was “extremely busy,” but then quickly added it was only “a little busier than a normal weekend.”

Senior Lukas Barber, on the other hand, said Halloween was like a second Homecoming and described the atmosphere on Water Street as “hectic.”

No students commented on the atmosphere on campus this year, though Brackey said that when she used to live on campus, activity in the residence halls seemed about as busy on Halloween as on normal weekends.

Of the four on-campus incidents that University Police responded to this year, Kirchmansaid none were serious. Police handed out two traffic citations, as well as reported to a call about drug use in one of the residence halls, but later declared the report “unfounded.” Police also responded to a call from a blue-light emergency station but didn’t find anybody at the location when they arrived.

Kirchman said he thought that students leaving Eau Claire to go home or to other college campuses may explain the relatively quiet atmosphere on campus this year. He also said he believes that by Halloween, students are becoming more responsible and more aware of the rules on campus.

Several students agreed that Madison is in fact a popular destination for students on Halloween.

“I know a lot of people go to Madison,” said Brackey, who has never been to Madison for Halloween but estimates that about half the people she knows usually go there for the holiday.

Kirchman said he can’t say for sure why on-campus activity has been quiet lately, but that he’s pleased by how the holiday has gone in recent years.

“We like that,” he said. “It means we’re doing something right, and it means that the students are doing things in a safe manner, which we like to see.”