The Woods | Photo by Rose Taylor | The Wright State Guardian
Oct. 19 was the Nightmare On Springwood Lane Haunted Hallway and Trail, and while the rain threatened the event, there was good fun to be had by all.
The Residential Community Association hosted the event in Oak Hall at The Woods. Students entered through the side door and weaved themselves through five rooms of horror. Blood, cobwebs and strobe lights were strung about as fellow Wright State students gave visitors a fright.
Once done, visitors entered one final room that rewarded them with refreshments and hot chocolate for their bravery.
Fun despite the rain
Unfortunately, due to the rain, the trail portion was postponed. That did not stop 180 students from coming to the haunted hallway and giving non-perishable items for charity.
Giving back
To enter the haunted house, each student had to give two non-perishable food items. These are going to the Raider food pantry, where they will then be given back to potential students in need. With the price, students were scrambling to grab the necessary requirements to enter.
“There were students running to Raidermart to get food to enter, it was amazing,” Michael Allbright, associate director of Residence Life, said.
The goal of the event was to gather a lot of non-perishables for the food pantry. In total, RCA and Residence Life ended up gathering 360 non-perishable items from the 180 students that showed up. That number does not account for items brought by housing staff themselves.
“We collected three big bins. Even my wife and I donated a ton of cans,” Allbright remarked.
One student, Josh Buescher, particularly enjoyed the charity aspect of the event.
"I know people who have used the school food bank before, so it was kind of nice to see people give back," Buescher said. "It would be interesting to have more stuff like that on campus."
Student involvement
According to Allbright, another reason for the event was to increase student involvement.
“Sometimes in college, students tend to lock themselves away, especially during stressful times, like midterms. These events are also to get students out of their dorms,” Allbright said.
Future plans
Plans of more events like this are potentially in the works, as this year's Nightmare On Springwood Lane was considered a big hit.
“We’ve thrown around the idea of holding a few of these kinds of events outside of October. Haunted houses don’t have to be just in October if there is an audience for it,” Allbright claimed.
Allbright also mentioned the idea of different non-spooky related events in different places throughout the housing options.
“If anyone has ideas, they are more than welcome to reach out. We are always looking for new programming throughout the school year,” Allbright said.
For more information about RCA, visit the organization’s Engage page. For more information about Residence Life, visit the Wright State housing website.
