April is all about the introduction of spring on the GCSU campus. From the good weather, beautiful scenery and the exciting news about the spring concert, there is so much to look for- ward to this month.

Did my headline catch your eye? Are you con- fused about the news of Sabrina Carpenter open- ing for the spring concert?

In addition to GC- SU’s spring concert, do you know what event is also in April, specif- ically which event falls on today, April 1st?

The notorious day of the year where you get FOOLED! Hap- py April Fool’s Day!

To reiterate, Sabrina Carpenter is not opening for the spring con- cert. Did I fool you?

April Fools’ Day is a holiday full of tricks and laughs. Some people love the idea of comical de- ception, where we can essentially “fool” someone in a humorous way. For others, people want the holiday to be forgotten altogether.

 “I think that April Fool’s Day can be fun and lighthearted, but it can also easily be tak- en too far,” Said Mol- ly Giusti, a sophomore education major. “I do celebrate the holiday but with my family, not usually my friends.” 

Part of the holiday is all of the pranks in- volved. They can be as small as moving around daily household ob- jects to sticky notes all over someone’s car. 

“I think some April Fools’ Day pranks can be funny, as long as the person being pranked will also find it funny,” said Lily Kenyon, a soph- omore marketing major. “I like the ones where it mostly results in con- fusion for a second, but no one gets hurt, emo- tionally or physically.” 

April Fool’s pranks often end in something surprising, as impact- ful as cancelling classes or even no school. I re- member as a kid in grade school having a par- ty for the holiday with funny party favors, and even classes being can- celled in middle school.

As we get older, hol- idays seem to fade! This poses the question: should we cancel class in college for April Fool’s if some classes use that as an opportunity for students to be pranked into thinking it is a nor- mal day in class anyway?

“I don’t think that classes should be can- celled on the holiday, I think that would be too much,” said Ava Joninas, a sophomore mass com- munications major . “Al- though I would love an- other day off class, I think that would be a bit much.”

I personally believe that we shouldn’t be ac- knowledging the day to encourage harmful pranks. Humor is subjec- tive, and supporting days off in a place of learning would not be the move.

I think that jokes and pranks can be funny in moderation, but not a whole day dedicated to the madness that we of- ten forget is a real hol- iday unless reminded, or something is posted.

“I think April Fool’s Day pranks are funny,” said Giusti. “I like them up to a certain point. They can be funny but also have potential to be hurtful or damaging, making jokes about ru- ining someone’s lawns or putting the wrong gas in the car but doing pranks that could leave more than like 2 minutes of damage are not funny.”

As college students, balance is vital. Some- times holidays such as April Fool’s can throw us off balance and even damage relationships.

“Pranks often involve less-than-innocent de- ception, and the joke is usually made at another person’s expense. This can wreck the foundation of trust and security rela- tionships are based on,”

As college students striving for balance in our lives, we must take a step back and evaluate how we choose to cele- brate holidays like April Fools’ Day. While enjoy- ing a good laugh is essen- tial, the cost of such en- joyment when it involves distressing others is not worth the fleeting joy.

Our focus should remain on fostering healthy relationships built upon respect and understanding rath- er than on moments of temporary amusement at someone else’s expense.

As we embrace the joys of spring on the GCSU campus, includ- ing the excitement sur- rounding the Wallows concert, we should re- flect on our approach to April Fools’ Day. There is no doubt that laugh- ter enhances our college experience, but how we achieve that laugh- ter must be scrutinized.

Pranks can serve as a fun diversion when done thoughtfully, but we must prioritize kind- ness over carelessness. Instead of encouraging a culture of deception, let’s foster one of em- pathy, understanding, and genuine connection.

After all, true humor arises not from trickery, but from shared laugh- ter and experiences that bring us together rath- er than drive us apart.