LYNN HOUSING PUTS A NEW SPIN ON HAUNTED HALLS
nd Residence Life staff hosted a Halloween game night in each of the six residence halls on campus.
In past years, the residence life team threw a Haunted Halls event the weekend prior to Halloween, but the community advisors saw an opportunity to improve it this year. In an effort to embrace tradition, the team kept the same Halloween-style event while adding activities in the mix.
The games hosted in the halls ranged from slime making, bowling with pumpkins, tic-tac-toe and more. Each building hosted two games from 7-9 p.m. Plus, if residents went to all six residence halls, they were entered in a drawing to win a Halloween gift basket.
“We believed that this new event would allow more residents to participate,” said Amalia Cardella, junior and Trinity Residence Hall community advisor. “In the end, we have programs for the residents, and as a team, we thought that doing a game night would make the night more enjoyable for all.”
In Trinity, Cardella had residents put their thumbprint on a pumpkin using paint. Although this was not a game, she felt it helped bring the community together.
“Sometimes it’s about bonding as a community and as friends,” said Cardella. “Not everyone wants to play games, so we had to provide activities for all to enjoy.”
This program focused on allowing all residents to participate. In the past, some residents felt pressured to partake in the festivities, rather than being welcomed to do so. Now that the event had changed, the community advisors were confident they created an atmosphere that fostered student involvement.
Throughout the night, resident assistants and community advisors led 12 games across the campus.
“This was a lot more fun than in years past,” said Baylee Howe, Lynn Residence Hall community advisor and graduate student. “It was a great time for the residents and staff to participate in activities while developing relationships with one another.”
When planning the night, the team ensured that whether a resident loved to play sports, use their brain, loved the spirit of Halloween or solely just sought to interact with other students, this program would suit them.
“This was a lot more fun than I expected,” said Hattie Rowe, Freiburger Hall sophomore resident. “I loved that there were so many different activities throughout the night. It was nice that each resident had an opportunity to participate in something that they enjoyed doing.”
To make each building unique, the six halls had a candy corn guessing jar where residents of the given building could guess how many pieces of candy could be found inside the jar to win a prize.
Made possible by the resident assistants, community advisors and staff members in the Office of Housing and Residence Life, this event had something for all in attendance. Still, the team looks to build upon their Haunted Halls programming success for future events.
