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Getting into the spirit of Halloween

'Students, faculty make scary day fun

Source: Central Florida Future (University of Central Florida)
Date: November 2, 2007
Author:  Amanda Bass

At first glance, the UCF campus was the same as any other Wednesday: students walked through the Union on their way to class, various campus organizations established themselves outside, and the bookstore was filled with students reading or doing last-minute studying.

But this Wednesday, campus was also full of zombies, witches, fairies and talk of vampire novels, all in the spirit of Halloween.

For the Student Government Association's Halloween party, costumed members set candy on the spider-web-covered table in their office.

"We thought it would be a fun, easy way to get students in the [SGA] office," said Caitlin McClurg, the public relations coordinator for SGA and a senior advertising and public relations major.

McClurg, who was dressed in a green fairy costume for the event, said about 35 people came in and got candy during the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. come-and-go party.

A short walk away, in the UCF bookstore, a UCF English professor held a discussion and signing for her recently published book from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Susan Hubbard, who has written four other books, including two collections of short stories, discussed her May 2007 release, The Society of S: A Novel, which she described as "a coming-of-age story in which some of the characters happen to be vampires."

After reading the preface of the book and discussing where the idea for it originated- she had a dream about it - Hubbard opened the floor for questions.

She shared her insight on having to cut some details to make a story "flow" and on writing horror and science fiction novels.

"I think a toaster oven can be scarier than a green-eyed monster," she said, in response to a question about the fear created from ordinary objects in horror fiction.

Regina Oliver, a senior in Hubbard's advanced fiction writing workshop, said she thought the book's topic was fitting for a Halloween discussion.

"I think that they should do something like this [discussion and book-signing] every Halloween," said Oliver, an English and creative writing major. "It was a lot of fun."

The Bookstore event attracted more than 30 people, enough for standing-room-only in the corner of the store set aside for the event.

The atmosphere was also a little different than normal at the weekly Student Union Market Day, where campus organizations routinely set up tables and outside vendors sell their goods.

The Campus Freethought Alliance had a table where students could "sign away their soul" on a poster for candy.

Andrew Carmichael, the treasurer of the group and a senior psychology major, wore a devil costume to hand out candy and talk about the organization.

"Since we support science over superstition, we're not really taking souls," Carmichael said.

The group is usually outside the Union on Tuesdays, he said, but they wanted to participate for the holiday.

"We're here in the spirit of Halloween," Carmichael said.


This article was retrieved from http://media.www.centralfloridafuture.com/media/storage/paper174/news/2007/11/02/News/Getting.Into.The.Spirit.Of.Halloween-3073746.shtml
 

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