Dramatic College Has 24/7 Counseling For Those Offended By Halloween Costumes

I have to admit, I'm a little nervous for Halloween this year.

Can you blame me, though? A lot of spooky stuff has been happening lately.

Take all of the terrifying clown sightings, for example. With all of these psychos running rampant, can you imagine how many are going to come out on October 31?

Also -- you have to admit -- there have been some REALLY odd costumes on the market lately.

Take the penis and vagina masks, for example -- or the Kim Kardashian Robbery Victim costume. It was so messed up, it was taken off the market.

And of course, there's the typical concerns about students dressing up in culturally offensive costumes, like dressing as Native Americans or wearing blackface.

In fact, offensive Halloween costumes have become so much of a concern this year the University of Florida created a counseling service to comfort students who feel victimized during the holiday.

According to DailyMail.com, the university released a memo on Monday that advised students to be careful about their costume choices this year to avoid insulting others.

An excerpt from the memo states,

Some Halloween costumes reinforce stereotypes of particular races, genders, cultures, or religions. Regardless of intent, these costumes can perpetuate negative stereotypes, causing harm and offense to groups of people.

The document then explains that the university "fosters a community that values and respects diversity."

Because of their concern, the university's Bias Education and Response Team will be available to assist anyone who feels insulted by a costume, and can connect the students to a phone counselor at UF's Counseling and Wellness Center 24/7.

Students at the college have also been warned via the memo that posting pictures of themselves in offensive costumes may negatively effect their professional careers (as if that wasn't already obvious).

But, according to university spokeswoman Janine Sikes, the school will not be penalizing anyone who does choose to wear an "offensive" costume because the implemented assistance isn't intended to violate students' freedom of speech.

Choose your getup wisely, my friends!

Citations: DailyMail.com