To me, the Halloween party had nothing in common with "Black Like Me" other than good intentions existed and black make-up was involved. That good book is not a fair comparison to nor does it justify what Prof. Shurtz did. For one thing, the author 'had to' wear makeup to make a point. I'll let it rest there.  
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/28/dear-white-people-blackface-is-not-ok.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/arts/music/an-otello-without-the-blackface-nods-to-modern-tastes.html?_r=0
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dont-wear-blackface-halloween_us_5633b4dde4b06317991244ac