Crowds of elaborately dressed-up students packed Skinner Memorial Chapel this Sunday as the Carleton College Orchestra, dressed in full Halloween attire, opened the annual midnight Halloween concert with a rendition of “YMCA.”

Hindus from Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges celebrated Divali, the Festival of Lights, last Sunday at Carleton.

Based on true events, “The Exonerated” depicted the experiences of six innocent individuals who were on death row, until they were rightfully exonerated.

The year’s second issue of the Carleton Observer, a newsletter of social commentary put out by the Carleton Conservative Union (CCU), was released Friday, Oct. 22. This issue presents students’ viewpoints on issues ranging from voting to the war in Iraq, and includes articles responding to essays from the last issue, all of which represent a wide range of viewpoints on the political spectrum.

Candidates for Northfield School Board, City Council, and Mayor, as well as those running for Rice County Commission District 2 and the Minnesota State House of Representatives from district 25B participated in a forum at Carleton last Thursday.

Unlike the past few years where homecoming has gradually lost ground to other activities on and off campus, this year the weekend was filled with events to enliven the Carleton spirit.

Students, alumni and family members filled Carleton’s Concert Hall last Friday as Carleton’s a cappella groups presented the annual A Cappella Fest during midterm break. The Carleton Singing Knights, the all male a cappella ensemble, opened the concert to much applause from the audience. They were followed by The Accidentals, one of the all female ensembles. The concert concluded with Exit 69, the co-ed ensemble. The festival marked the first concert of the year, in which the various groups’ new members are presented.

The Experimental Theatre Board (ETB) presented “Hit N Run” on Oct. 7-9 in the Nourse Little Theatre. “Hit N Run,” the student-directed one-act plays, consisted of Israel Horovitz’s “Line,” directed by sophomore Martin Miller and “Roomies,” written and directed by senior Matthew Barnhurst.

Every Friday evening at 6:30 p.m, students and alumni gather at Cowling Dance Studio for two hours of swing dancing with the Carleton Rugcutters.

Responding to recent major flooding in southern Minnesota, a group of Carleton students, joined by a group from St. Olaf College, went to the area on Saturday, Sept. 25 to give what help they could to the victims.

The conference, held in correspondence with the dedication of Carleton’s new 1.65 megawatt wind turbine, provided information and inspiration on working to help the environment.

From September 25 to October 2, the Carleton College Bookstore is holding their annual Banned Books week.