First hauntings: NRHH to hold haunted house Oct. 28

Newsom+Hall

Collegian | Reuel Indurkar

Newsom Hall Oct. 21. Incoming students are warned by upperclassmen to avoid residing at Newsom Hall.

DJ Vicente, Staff Reporter

As the leaves at The Oval fall to the ground with the changing season, a chilling wind blows through the Colorado State University campus as Halloween nears and Fort Collins residents come out to celebrate.

On the northwest side of campus, trouble stirs in the halls of The Pavilion at Laurel Village as members of CSU’s National Residence Hall Honorary work to create a haunt out of the building.

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“It’s a super cool space,” said Cassidy Faulhaber, president of NRHH at CSU. “We’re planning to block all of it off and having scares coming through there. It should be super professional and, like, a very real experience.”

Faulhaber, alongside her cabinet and other CSU members of NRHH, invites fellow Rams, as well as residents of Fort Collins, to enjoy a fright-filled walk through The Pavilion as the organization will hold its haunted house at 6 p.m. Oct. 28. The attraction will be free.

“We’re definitely going to take everything into account. … It’s important to realize that we are going to do our best. I think it’s also just going to be a fun experience for everyone.” –Gabriella Hempelmann, NRHH at CSU vice president of administration and finance

Faulhaber mentioned the organization of The Pavilion, divided into different themed rooms that cover a wide variety of fears to scare a diverse range of students. From the undead to haunted toys, the haunted house will be pretty spooky, Faulhaber said.

This haunted house will also be the first one ever organized by NRHH at CSU, being a new learning experience for the organization as they work to make the inaugural event a good first impression for students.

Newsom Hall
Halloween decorations in a window of the supposedly haunted Newsom Hall Oct. 21. (Collegian | Julia Hanselman)

Gabriella Hempelmann, vice president of administration and finance of NRHH at CSU, spoke about the challenges of organizing a haunted house at The Pavilion, noting its size as their main challenge in designing an effective scare.

“We’re trying to design it with the space,” Hempelmann said. “It is a little awkward for what we’re trying to do, but we figured it out, and I think it’s going to be great.”

Hempelmann took a major role in producing and organizing the haunted house, mainly in the design of the attraction, citing her previous experience organizing a haunted house every year in high school.

Hempelmann also mentioned the pressure of the haunted house being CSU NRHH’s first and hopes this year’s reception will be positive enough to bolster effort into next year’s version.

“We’re definitely going to take everything into account,” Hempelmann said. “It’s important to realize that we are going to do our best. … I think it’s also just going to be a fun experience for everyone.”

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The haunted house will also act as a safe space for eventgoers, acting as an alternative to on-campus parties.

“Some people don’t feel comfortable going to other people’s houses to hang out, or they don’t know as many people,” Hempelmann said. “This is an awesome experience for them.”

By providing a safe alternative to Halloween parties, the haunted house will also be able to prevent dangerous incidents from occurring. Vice President of Recognition & Service of NRHH at CSU Aimee White said the haunted house will have no alcohol present and staff on site to “deal with situations if something were to arise.”

While wanting to create a haunted house full of scares, NRHH at CSU still seeks to promote the knowledge of resources available to students, “making sure people — specifically first years — are more aware of these free resources that they have,” White said.

With scares being anxiety-based, Faulhaber said, it is also part of CSU NRHH’s goal to provide support for students struggling with college life — something Faulhaber said aligns with the organization’s foundational pillars.

“We’ll have some info cards about how to cope with loneliness and anxiety in college to kind of tie into our pillars: … helping the community and also just trying to make people’s lives better, on top of a super cool haunted house,” Faulhaber said.

The event will also be a great way to connect with other students and community members, as well as to slow down and relax during a busy holiday, Hempelmann said.

“I think it’s a great way to bring the community together,” Hempelmann said. “I’m hoping that having a fun time will allow people to just destress and chill out for a little bit.”

Reach DJ Vicente at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @DeejMako.