Monica Kizer
Reporter
The W puts the spook back into Halloween with several events around campus during the month of October.
The first event to start the season was Oktoberfest. This event was sponsored by the Student Programming Board and took place on Oct. 16 on Shattuck Lawn from 5-8 p.m.
Oktoberfest is an annual event that provides an opportunity for organizations to set up booths and raise money for their groups. This also gives the campus and community a chance to see how different organizations operate.
"This is a fun event to get students involved where they can meet and socialize with different organizations. Also, it's an opportunity for the community to see The W campus and students," said Kendall Robertson, assistant director of Student Life.
More than 30 organizations participated in Oktoberfest this year. In addition to all of the booths, there was a costume contest for children 12 and under. The contest was open to the community, so families with small children could be involved in the event. The judges consisted of one MUW faculty member, Dr. Kim Whitehead, and two students, Nicole Guyton and Quincy Hughes.
This event included live performances by the Masker Washboard Band, United Harmony Gospel Choir, the Elite Modeling Squad and the Audacity Dance Team.
Another event in October that W students can attend is the Halloween Party and Costume Contest. This year, the party will be combined with the annual Dessert Extravaganza that SPB hosts.
The Halloween Party and Costume Contest is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, in Cochran Hall at 6 p.m. There will be prizes for the best Halloween costume, so students are encouraged to come dressed up and ready to have fun.
The Second Annual W Leadership Haunted House is also coming up. This event will be held on Oct. 29-31 in the Hogarth Student Center from 3-11 p.m. Admission is $4.
The overall purpose of this event is to raise money to go toward Batson Children's Hospital and to raise money for the W Leadership Program. Also, there will be different organizations each night, selling a variety of food and drinks. A portion of the proceeds raised by those organizations will also go towards Batson Children's Hospital.
Different social clubs will be selling treats to people waiting to go through the haunted house. This is a social event for the campus and community.
In addition, tickets will be sold each night, and participants can get their tickets from the W room.
According to Harli Eaves, the student intern for the W Leadership Program, this year's haunted house will be bigger and better than last year and is sure to be scary.
The participants will go through the haunted house in groups of six. Each group will walk through for around 8-10 minutes. All of the rooms in the Haunted House are different and will consist of more scenes than last year.
The Haunted House was planned by 10 students on the W Leadership Council. The setup for the actors, builders and even behind-the-scenes work was organized by students from The W.
"This was a fun experience, to use current students, in which the the whole process is all student-driven," said Jessica Harpole, director of Student Life.
The students and community are encouraged to come to have a fun scare for Halloween.