University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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y J ' McHALLOWEEN: Austin resident, Pete Hausmann peers through his Mac Tonight costume while working his way through the mob on 6th Street. MID- NIGHT RUSH HOUR: Packing the streets, over 100,000 people parade down 6th Street. This ' ghoulish ' once-a- year occasion has grown into a full- blown Austin Tradition. IMPROVE YOUR IMAGE: Halloween brings out the ' worst ' in people as in this case of a devilishly handsome goblin. Students spent many hours and dollars to create original entertaining costumes. , Halloween 23

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They come by the thousands wearing bizarre costumes and acting out their wildest fantasies . . . They are It ' s the most fabulous place to be in the world on Halloween. There ' s only, like, two p laces in the world where people go crazy like this. One, I hear, is Southern Illinois and then there ' s Austin, Texas, Scott Roan, Texas A M graduate and Dallas resident in the guise of Opus, said. Transformed into one grand party, October 31, Austin and its nightlife attracted thousands of people ranging from students to locals to out- of-town visitors. It was, simply put by one Halloween reveler, a totally radical party. The excitement felt by all heightened and changed the atmosphere to turn Austin into a unique locale for Halloween. People and ac- tivities formed this once-a-year distinction. One could mix at a sorority fraternity parry New Year, Elvira, Freddie Kruger, Spuds McK ' enzie, the Noid or the Living Dead. The rangt was enormous, the atmosphere was alive, and the experience was . . . unique. The spirit did not end in the street, but! seeped into nearby clubs and bars as Halloweer partiers danced from one location to the next Clubs such as Flamingo ' s Bar and Maggie Mae ' ; contributed to the occasion with special prep- arations ranging from costume and pumpkin- carving contests to additional employees Although 203 Austin police officers and 28 Department of Public Safety troopers mingled with the 100,000+ partiers, problems were scarce. A few fights broke out during the eve- ning but basically the crowd brewed fun, not trouble. I ' m not controlling the crowds, one i or a host of other parties, dance to the beat of Javelin Boot or the Wayouts at the Union ' s Texas Tavern Showroom, experience Phantom of the Opera at Bates Recital Hall, get spooked at Phi Gamma Delta ' s hauntingly decorated house, bowl a strike at the Union Rec Center ' s Moonlight Rock ' n ' Bowl ... or, one could go to Sixth Street, an experience in itself. Sixth Street was, by far, the most distinctive quality of Austin ' s Halloween. It was Austin ' s version of Mardi Gras, Deanna Lester, ac- counting senior, said. What other description came close? More than 100,000 people, dis- guised in a fantastic array of costumes, joined in the celebration. They were there for the wildness of the night and for the unique experience of Hal- loween on Sixth Street. Main attraction? All the people. And the costumes too, one participant said. The crowd, en mass, circulated through the street in an enormous loop from Brazos to Red River as the roadway had been barricaded from Congress Avenue to 1-35. Out of this crowd rose a massive roar of voices, engulfing the street. Everyone seemed animated and united de- spite the overwhelming diversity of people and costumes the varied species of humanoids, as classified by one participant. Others defintely let it all out (some quite graphically), forgetting all usual inhibitions. Af- ter all, it was the only night out of the year to be a completely different person, whether as Baby police officer said. Lots of crime going on down here. That ' s why I ' m down here. To fight crime. All I can dc is watch right now. With the help of the fellow officers we hope to round the crime up, Bat- man (alias Mike Guire, a UT graduate) said. Halloween in Austin was definitely a ' ghouling ' fun time. A Texas football victor) over Texas Tech that afternoon added to the celebration and set the tone for the holiday. The enormous number of people involved created ar incredible array, filtering into parties, dances but especially onto Sixth Street. It was really really a sheer ecstasy ol social gathering, Christopher Johnson, archi- tecture freshman, said. by Joyce Inman 22 Hallum-cn

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The scene is a smoke filled barroom, a lone woman, nursing a gin and tonic, looks up expectantly as a swaggering man makes his way toward her. I ' ve been noticing you sitting here, and I ' d really like to get to know you better, much better. Maybe, if you ' re lucky, she says coyly as she smiles up at him. After a couple of hours of small talk, she finishes her drink, picks up her purse and follows him out the bar door into the neon-lit street. Is this a clip out of Saturday Night Fever a memory of the glory days of disco, of the Me generation, of polyester and gold me- dallions. It could not be 1988, not with the massive Safe Sex and AIDS campaigns. Yet, student interviews and Health Center statistics showed students participating in safe sex tech- niques was a modern myth. The days of Free Love were over, but safe and responsible sex practices had not yet found their way to UT. Most students were aware of the sexual malices. Their education began at childhood; they formed sexual attitudes in the days when herpes was as bad as it got. Now not only did students have to deal with communicable mala- dies such as syphillis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, in addition to pregnancy, there was something that could kill. During 1988, society ' s misconception was that the conservative trend was making people more responsible. Marriage and monogamy were back in full swing, and the sexual ex- perimentation of the 60 ' s was no longer in vogue. Yet, it seemed that most University heterosexual students had not changed their behavior accordingly. According to the Health Center, most of the changes in sexual behavior occurred within the male homosexual population primarily because they were the group with the largest number of AIDS cases. Dave, liberal arts senior, was a former ho- mosexual. He altered his sexual conduct because there was a question in his mind as to whether he had contracted AIDS. I ' m not intimate Jeff Hod I FRIENDLY, BUT CAREFUL: Curtis Croshaw, finance junior, attempts to make a good first impression on his new I acquaintance, Deborah Ing, advertising junior. with anyone now because even though I tested negative, there is still a slim possibility I can infect another person. But what needed to happen before hetero- sexual behavior was modified? Rising numbers of heterosexuals with AIDS and personal contact with an AIDS victim are the two most realistic factors that would do it, Scott Spear, Health Center physician, said. When asked if their sexual behavior had changed due to recent Safe Sex campaigns, an alarming 90% of those interviewed said they had not undergone any modifications. Monogamy was not popular among students. Peggy, marketing senior, gave a typical answer. I usually have frequent partners interrupted by periods of monogamy, she said. John, finance junior, also was intimate with several partners. It ' s kind of worrisome, think- ing of all the implications you can ' t ignore what ' s out there. It could be a fatal mistake. While this was not alarming, the percentage of condomless intimacy was. Based on student interviews, a prophylactic was only used in 15- 20% of all liaisons. Purchasing these contra- ceptives made females embarrassed and un- comfortable, while males thought there was nothing wrong with the concept of females handling that detail. The Student Health Center ' s statistics mir- rored the view that UT students were not af- fected by the Safe Sex trend. During the fall semester, hundreds of tests were run for sexually transmitted diseases (STD ' s). In addition, most students did not know that the Health Center could test for AIDS. A test (costing $17) could detect the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Vi- rus) antibodies which show up when the AIDS virus is present. If the results were positive, the ELISSA test, a much more specific screen, was administered. Costing about $77, the ELISSA could tell with certainty if it was actually HIV and not a random virus. Two STD ' s which increased significantly in frequency were genital warts and chlamydia. According to the Health Center, there was a sudden surge in the number of warts cases, as was true with chlamydia. Sherry Bell, of the UT 24 Sexual Evolution