by Sarah Taylor
October 31, 2025
4 minute read
This story was originally published by the CU Independent.
Halloween weekend, often simplified to Halloweekend by students at the University of Colorado Boulder, is three consecutive nights of costume events across the city’s off-campus neighborhoods. The University Hill’s Greek life festivities will show high attendance of students seeking relief and fun amidst midterms.
Dawned in his pirate costume, Colin Craig will not be joining in on Friday. As one of the newest members of CU Boulder’s STEM fraternity Triangle, Craig will be a sober brother (‘sobro’) at their Halloween party. This is a common role senior fraternity members give to new members as part of initiation.
“If s— goes down, I’m the person that actually is going to be able to take control of the situation and manage it,” Craig said.
Triangle requires sobros under their risk management policies that are enforced by CU Interfraternity Council bylaws. Risk management is also in place to reduce the risk of harmful substance use at fraternity events, which is critical in the opioid epidemic.
The number of deaths from opioid overdose in 2023 was ten times larger than in 2000, making overdose the leading cause of accidental deaths in the U.S. This is also linked to the increased distribution of illegally produced opioids such as fentanyl, a powerful synthetic that can be fatal in tiny doses. It’s commonly mixed into other illicit drugs and cannot be detected without fentanyl strips.
CU Boulder is not exempt from the crisis. Between 2020 and 2023, there were 174 unintentional overdose deaths reported in Boulder County, 75.3% of which had opioids present. The majority of those deaths occurred in houses or apartments.
Craig and fellow brothers know that there is naloxone, an opioid overdose medication, and fentanyl strips in a white wire basket on the kitchen counter to the right of the stove.
Signs of an opioid overdose include unresponsiveness, slow breathing, tiny pupils, and cold and clammy skin (see the full list of indicators here). Call 911 immediately, and administer naloxone while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.
Naloxone is an FDA-approved medicine that prevents opioids from binding with receptors in the brain. This temporarily reverses the effects of opioid overdose for 2 to 3 minutes by restoring breathing. To activate Narcan nasal spray, place your thumb on the plunger and insert the nozzle end into either nostril. Press the plunger to spray.
The nostril lining absorbs the medicine so the person does not need to be breathing for it to work. Narcan is safe to use regardless if opioids are present or not, so there is no harm in administering even if you’re uncertain.
Students can get free naloxone on the third floor of Wardenburg Health Center (Health Promotion), CU’s End Overdose free training programs, and it’s offered at the end of Off-Campus Life’s Party Registration orientation.
Off-Campus Life is a bridge between student and non-student community members. Party Registration used to be under Boulder Police Department jurisdiction but was reallocated to CU to serve as an “educational opportunity” according to Director Jeff Morris.
“It’s a benefit for us to have students go through this class with us, learn about not only how the program works and how it doesn’t work, so we can dispel myths around the program,” Morris said. “But also engage students on good neighbor behavior, like, what does it mean to be a good neighbor?”
Students who register their social events receive a 20 minute warning via text if BPD gets a noise complaint from surrounding neighbors, a window to shut it down and avoid a fine. Morris also teaches students about city ordinances and opens a conversation about alcohol and drug use at parties.
Off-Campus Life partnered with the CU Collegiate Recovery Community to train students in overdose response and naloxone use.
“It’s just a great opportunity to have that staff from health promotions and the CRC come in, because now we have a captive audience,” Morris said. “And so for us, we use party registration as a tool to get that information to those students.”