The week of oct. 26 – oct. 31, campus was bustling with Halloween themed events from scary movie on the lawn to a candy cornhole tourney
With current restrictions on social gathering and the current ban on the guest policy, many students were expecting a very uneventful Halloween celebration. However, the Student Activities office and Off the Hook team was able to create an entire week of COVID-19 considerate Halloween events for students to enjoy.
Some of the student’s favorite activities of the past week consisted of a pumpkin carving contest, as well as Grocery Bingo on Monday. The winner of the pumpkin carving contest received headphones as a prize.
Tuesday continued the festivities with a Bachelor Nation trivia night and an “Among Us” game night, which was described by Virginia Wesleyan’s programming coordinator, Audwin Harris as his “favorite event this week because he likes to hear people argue.” He explained that the healthy competition of the game created the “most interactive energy” he has seen on campus.
Other events hosted during the week included the Movie on the Lawn event on Wednesday night. The showing was “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark” which was quite appropriate for the setting. With a full moon and a cold chill, students spread out on Rose Lawn with their blankets to watch the film on the big screen. Hot chocolate and movie snacks were provided.
Thursday also had a similar event called Movie Night with a Twist. The movie “Beetlejuice” was shown at the pool and had an unexpectedly large turn out. With a limited amount of tubes to be given out, the event was on a first come first serve basis.
On Friday, events continued with a corn hole tourunament, which concluded with Andrew Taylor winning first place and Tucker Barco in second. Friday night was successfully finished off with a Spookie movie trivia night via Google Meets. Friday evening also had a spooky scavenger hunt event in front of the John Wesley statue, and few students even arrived in costume.
The day of Halloween, with most students returning home for the weekend, not many students were able to witness the pumpkin head found on John Wesley’s statue outside of the dining hall. This practical joke was just the necessary amount of comic relief that this campus needed.
Saturday’s events finished off the week with a Costume Catwalk Contest in Brock Village. The event included a bonfire, DJ, candy and other snacks. Students were encouraged to dress up and sign up to be a part of the event. The winner of the catwalk contest won a Nintendo Switch Lite.
All in all, Halloween week was a great success for students, and gave them the opportunity to enjoy the holiday while remaining safe.
Sarah Guzzo, Director of Student Activities explained that the easiest way to stay informed about campus activities is to follow the Off the Hook Instagram page and pay attention to the updates in weekly emails. Students can also check out details for events on posters around campus or even on the sidewalks where chalk memos will be posted.
By Lauren Faulkner
lafaulkner@vwu.edu
By Jean Mahone
jmmahone@vwu.edu
