Ronald McDonald’s evil cousins have been spotted on campus in the Seneca Hall parking lot, Onondaga Hall and various places near Lakeside.

Similar events have been occurring all around the country since mid-August when a man was dressed as a clown in a woods in South Carolina and it was reported that he tried to lure kids with candy.

Since that incident, a man in Kentucky was arrested for dressing up as a clown and hiding in the woods. In Alabama, a woman called 911 because she was scared after seeing a clown in a Wal-Mart parking lot.  A teen was chased out of a subway station by a clown in New York City. More than two dozen states have been affected by this clown epidemic.

Young kids are being terrorized by what was once a person in a funny costume blowing up balloon animals at an 8-year-old’s birthday party. Having coulrophobia, or a fear of clowns, was once easily avoidable. Now, anyone who is afraid of clowns can see a clown anywhere at any time.

At Penn State, hundreds of students took to the streets to create a massive clown hunt. A Connecticut school district is banning any kind of clown costumes as a “symbol of terror.” An armed clown hoax put a Massachusetts college on lockdown. Here in upstate New York, the Village of Phoenix’s police department has been asking that people do not dress as clowns for Halloween.

No deaths had actually been reported until a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death by someone wearing a clown mask in Reading, Pennsylvania, at the end of September.

After seeing posts on YikYak of clowns being on campus and on a floor in Onondaga Hall, this is not funny.

Wearing a clown mask and scaring people, is that really how you want to spend your free time?

This clown epidemic has multiple people “clown hunting,” which involves being extremely loud and carrying around hockey sticks, golf clubs, baseball bats and anything else they can find. They are not carrying hockey sticks, golf clubs and baseball bats because they are on their way out the door to play a sport at 11 p.m. and they will not be politely asking you to join. 

This “trend” needs to end as quickly as the Pokémon Go trend did.

Think of all the things someone could be doing instead of hunting clowns or dressing up as the clown. Maybe completing assignments that should have been done the night before that are already late. How about making dinner and eating some really good food or even catching up on the latest season of your favorite show on Netflix.

Once again, who wants to spend their free time wearing a clown mask, scaring people and risking students attacking you with hockey sticks?

This is unsafe. This is not funny. For peope with phobias, this is scary. Stop it. It is not funny anymore and people are starting to get hurt.

Please, make a nice dinner, do your homework, watch more Netflix and go to McDonalds.