Halloween is one of the most favored holidays on the Northern Vermont University – Lyndon campus. Because of its popularity, two years ago, a group of resident assistants got together to create a series of programs and giveaways for the holiday. They brought in other clubs who wanted to get involved and turned the “Halloweek” program into an Involvement Fair. The next year, the program evolved into a week of Halloween-themed activities hosted by the Campus Activities Board and other campus organizations.
Kaitlin Flannigan says that Halloweek is a great opportunity to get clubs more involved on campus, especially with new clubs forming so rapidly over the past year and older clubs looking for recruitment opportunities. Flannigan is Vice President of the Student Government Association and a former RA. Through both positions, she has been involved in Halloweek since the beginning and this year’s event may be her last with graduation soon approaching. She likes to see various “student leaders getting involved, especially during the month when it starts to get dark and gloomy and depressing.”
Last year, student leaders hosted 15 events for Halloweek. This year, the celebration has nearly doubled in size with nearly 25 Halloween-themed events planned, including the return of Wheelock’s Haunted House program, The Critic’s Spooky Media Contest, and the Visual Art Department’s Monster Drawing Rally. The increase in events and club involvement can likely be attributed to the SGA’s “Accountability Policy” which requires clubs to get involved in the celebration. This requirement can be filled by hosting an event during the week or volunteering to help CAB with Monster Bash.
A full list of events can be found below:
Monday, October 24th
Candy Jar Raffle (with CAB) || 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm || Theatre Lobby
Ghost Tour (with Twilight Players and Occult Club) || 7:00 pm || Meet outside Wheelock
Outing Club Meeting: Pumpkin Night || 7:00 pm || HAC 115
Student Showcase: Hardcore & Rock Night (with MEISA) || 7:30 pm || Student Center
Tuesday, October 25th
Ghost Hunt (with CAB) || all day || Lyndon campus
Food Drive (with CAB) || 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm || Stevens Dining Hall Lobby
Monster Drawing Rally (with Visual Arts Dept.) || 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm || Moore Community Room (ASAC 100)
New Moon Fright Hike (with Outing Club) || 7:30 pm || Meet at HAC
Wednesday, October 26th
Costume Pond Swim (with Outing Club) || 12:30 pm || Library Pond
Spooky Coloring Books (with CAB) || 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm || Theatre Lobby
Fall Cleanup (with Gardening Club) || 4:00 pm || Meet in Veterans Park
Fire Pit Gathering (with AMS) || 8:00 pm || Vail Fire Pit
Thursday, October 27th
Water Pong Tournament (with Ski & Ride) || 6:00 pm || Veterans Park
Scary Movie Night (with Outing Club) || 7:30 pm || Burke Mountain Room (LAC 400)
Ghost Hunter Ross Allison (with CAB) || 8:00 pm || Veterans Park
Friday, October 28th
Spooky Disc Golf (with Ultimate Frisbee) || 12:00 pm || Meet at Disc Golf Course entrance
Smashing Pumpkins (with CAB) || 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm || Stonehenge Parking Lot
Haunted House (with the Wheelock RAs) || 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm || Wheelock Basement
Monster Bash (with CAB/SGA) || 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm || Burke Mountain Resort
Saturday, October 29th
Just Dance Tournament (with Dance Ensemble) || 7:00 PM || Moore Community Room (ASAC 100)
Smash Tournament (with Gaming Club) || 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm || LAC 412
Monday, October 31st
Trunk or Treat (with SAAC) || 4:00 pm – 7:30 pm || SHAPE Parking Lot
In addition, The Critic will be hosting its second annual Spooky Media Contest all week. The contest opened on Monday, October 17th. The club is accepting any form of submission in the following categories: Video, Art, Photo, Story, and Miscellaneous. Submissions can be brought to The Critic’s office in ACT 230-B, emailed to the club at TheCritic@NorthernVermont.edu, or dropped off with an executive board member. Submissions are due by Thursday, October 27th at 5:00 pm with winners being announced the next day.
Some clubs and student leaders are still planning events for later in the week and/or Halloween day. Students should keep an eye out for the weekly events email next week and look for bulletins posted around campus or on social media for any updates.
Although not associated with Halloweek, the VSCSA is also hosting a food drive at Price Chopper in St. Johnsbury on Saturday, October 29th and Sunday, October 30th, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm each day. This is something Student Trustee Perry Ragouzis is overseeing, encouraging all Vermont State Colleges System campuses to give back to the communities around them. NVU Dean of Students and VSCSA advisor Jonathan Davis says Lyndon’s food drive will go to support a local non-profit organization, which has yet to be determined, with a small portion of the donations coming back to the Student Pantry. The VSCSA is looking for volunteers to help run the food drive. Anyone interested can sign up online.
With everything going on, Flannigan says she’s excited to see all the clubs involved this year, but she’s admittedly most excited for Outing Club’s daily events. CAB President Erica Shea and CAB Student Government Representative Ryder Klager are also excited for Outing Club’s events, specifically the Costume Pond Jump scheduled for Wednesday. Shea expects many students to join them for the event.
Shea is also looking forward to the Monster Bash. Tickets to the dance are $5, though CAB will cover the cost if students cannot afford it. Transportation will also be available to and from the dance Friday evening. Tickets can be bought at the door or in advance at the following times:
Monday, October 24th
4:30 pm – 7:00 pm || Stevens Dining Hall
Tuesday, October 25th
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm || Theatre Lobby
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm || Stevens Dining Hall
Wednesday, October 26th
9:00 am – 10:00 am || Theatre Lobby
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm || Stevens Dining Hall
Thursday, October 27th
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm || Theatre Lobby
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm || Stevens Dining Hall
Shea has been more involved in planning Halloweek this year as CAB President. She told The Critic that a lot of planning went into this year’s events. CAB wanted to host something every single day but also wanted to be cognizant of the burnout volunteers may experience and leave room for other clubs to hold their own events. With a newly formed executive board, Shea sat down with her team to review the plans ahead. “We spent a good long time revising and editing our Halloweek to make sure everyone had an opportunity and we don’t overlap someone else’s event.”