The Campus Activities Board (CAB) just hosted their annual spooky event. Fright Night made its daunting return to Gleeson Plaza last week on Oct. 29. From a haunted house to costume competition, how scared were USF students?
The dark and stormy night began at 7 p.m. From Jim and Pam from “The Office” to Pitbull, students filled the plaza in an assortment of costumes. Near the entrance, CAB made a table showcasing what they do, and future events such as Donaroo and Winter Wonderland. From free stickers to free info, the shameless plug told the attending students all about the chartered student organization.
Upon check-in, attendees gravitated towards the array of free Bon Appétit goods provided for the event. Students munched on a variety of pizza flavors, followed by different desserts such as donut holes, cupcakes and cake. After 9:30 p.m., only lemonade and water were left standing.
The bloody long line for munchies formed almost immediately, with enough switchbacks to be confused with the haunted house. First-year Asian studies major Savannah Rose, who attended the event dressed as Hermione Granger, spent a significant portion of her night in line, hoping for a slice of pizza. “I’ve been here since 7:00 o’clock,” she said. “They said there was gonna be free food, and I’m never gonna pass up free food.”
The line snaked through Gleeson plaza passing the speakers blasting music spun by KUSF. They started out the night with mellow, halloween-esque beats, but by the end of the night played pop and house music by artists such as Beyonce and Charli XCX.
After attendees finally got a plate of food, they made their way to the free photobooth. Adorned with props, first-years Kate Palma and Mailee Bumanglag, both dressed as JuJutsu Kaisen characters, posed for the camera. After their photo strips were printed out, the duo said they were “definitely going to the haunted house.”
En route to the haunted house at Welch Field, students passed by a table, guarded by another Hermione and Kim Possible. In front of them, two shoe boxes posed as a guessing game. Players put their hands into the dark boxes and guessed the sensations at their fingertips. In one box, a house-made CAB slime, and in the other, an assortment of knick knacks trying to trick players.
The haunted house, an inflatable maze filled with scare actors, took up the majority of Welch Field. As participants made their way through the petrifying paths, strobe lights and spider webs caused adrenaline to flow through their bloodstream until they finally found their exit.
Back on Gleeson Plaza, the Office of Sustainability hosted a “Zero Waste Dress to Impress Costume Contest,” where participants dressed up in donated clothes collected from the residence hall’s laundry rooms. The winner of the dress to impress contest was awarded with free pottery lessons for themselves and their friend. Hosna Dawlaty, first-year environmental science major, worked the event as a part of the Office of Sustainability. “We sorted the clothes based on like, if they’re shirts, pants or accessories,” she said. “We put them on display on the table and have people pick them to design a zero waste costume.”
The Zero Waste Dress to Impress Costume Contest wasn’t the only competition of the night. Around 9 p.m., the CAB Costume Contest began. Multiple contestants stood before the Gleeson Plaza audience and explained their costumes. Then, the top ten contestants were selected, and after an applause-based competition, the podium was finalized. Seniors Carlo Borea and Mani Atasay, dressed as Aladin and his sidekick Abu, were awarded third place, winning a stuffed animal octopus and Donaroo tickets. Next, first-year Joy Perry, dressed as Coraline, won second place and was awarded a hydro-flask and Donaroo tickets. Finally, the night crowned first-year Jeremy Kreisand (dressed as Hamilton) first place in the competition, winning an Amazon Alexa and Donaroo tickets.
After CAB’s costume competition, the night was a wrap. With the pizza boxes all empty and the haunted house deflating, dressed-up Dons made their exit. Cabbies lingered on the scene, tearing down faux cobwebs and undecorating the scene. “Volunteering was so much fun, since I was with all my ‘cabbies,’” first-year communication studies major and CAB volunteer Molly Bell Hart said. “Of course, I’ll help [again] next year.”
By 10 p.m. on Oct. 29, all that was left on Gleeson Plaza was the ghost of another annual Fright Night.
