News & features about the Vanderbilt Commons from the students who live here
Spooky season has returned! As you reignite your Halloween spirit with loads of horror movies and haunted house visits, don’t forget the classic figures that made Halloween as iconic as it is. Do you think you are familiar with these famous Halloween icons? Take this quiz to test your knowledge!
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On this edition of the CommonsCast Dean Gresalfi talks about mandatory reporting and resources like Project Safe, Cheryl has your spooky themed calendar of upcoming events, and Richard has a great conversation with Devin Laye, a first year student and MCL content creator from Spartanburg, South Carolina studying Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Art History.
This Friday October 29th, Halloweekend at Vanderbilt will begin with a scream. Crawford and Sutherland, with the help of Murray, will be hosting the first Commons Mix-up event of the year: Nightmare on the Upper Quad. This Commons tradition, now over a decade old, will be held on the Upper Quad – the lawn between Sutherland, Crawford, Stambaugh, and Murray – from 8-11PM. With the large variety of activities being offered at this event, deciding what to do may seem scary. Don’t fear: here are the MCL Top 5 things to do at the Nightmare on the Upper Quad.
5. Ghoulish Games
Stop by the Upper Quad for a plethora of games. There will be lawn games like Spikeball and cornhole along with some Halloween-themed games. This is a perfect way to kick off an evening of frightening fun!
4. Murray Mocktails
While Commons Mix-ups are typically between only two houses, Murray’s inclusion in this event is an extra special treat. Stop by Murray for a mocktail to enjoy during your spooktacular evening.
3. Devilish Desserts
For those of you who prefer treats to tricks, this is the activity for you. Stop by for hot chocolate, s’mores, and apple cider. There will also be a cookie decorating station!
2. Costume Contest
It wouldn’t be Halloween without costumes, now would it. Make sure to dress up so you can compete in the Nightmare on the Upper Quad costume contest.
1. Haunted House
The main event of the evening is a tour of one of the most terrifying places on campus: Crawford House. Tours will be running all night, but spaces are limited. Walk ins are welcome, but if you want to make sure you have a spot, register on Anchor Link.
Devin sets the spooky scene for this week’s look into events happening around campus, including a pumpkin patch at the Highland Quad, Dia de los Muertos with LACS, and Nightmare on the Upper Quad.
There are certain songs that send a chill down your spine during the Spooky Season, but only in the BEST way possible. These five songs are sure to get you dancing like no one’s watching, even if it feels like someone is watching you…
5. “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers
This 1960s hit proved to be a toe-tapper. This easy-listening tune will make you want to snap your fingers, do the Mashed Potato (if you even know what that dance move looks like), or even sing in your best “monster” voice.
4. “Calling All the Monsters” by China Anne McClain
If you watched Disney Channel in the early 2010s, you know this song. This kid-friendly club banger was LEGENDARY when it came out and it still holds up today. Thank you, China Anne McClain, for making Monstober on Disney Channel something to look forward to.
3. “Disturbia” by Rihanna
This headbanger is such a bop; prove me wrong. Rihanna’s creepy tone, the catchy melody, and the accompanying music video are too good to ignore. Plus, it’s a motivating song to work out to. Seriously, listen to this while doing that one workout you hate. You’ll surprise yourself with your physical capabilities.
2. “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr.
Who you gon’ call? I would call my mother, personally, but everyone knows that famous line to this famous theme song for the 1980s film franchise hit, Ghostbusters. Also, the Just Dance routine to this song is SO much fun to do with your friends, or even strangers.
1. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
Is anyone surprised by this? This song made Halloween. The jubliant instrumentals, the iconic vocalisms, the music video, oh my. All I can say is…it was a cultural reset.
Well, here’s how to get started with your Halloween playlist. There are plenty of spooky time bangers that were not mentioned in this list, so feel free to do your own exploring on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, or whatever you cool cats, ghouls, and goblins use to stream music!
Listen in as Stephan and Maria discuss the topic of “Halloween at College”. What do college students do, what parties do students attend, how do they dress? Real talk about social life during COVID and some costume ideas they’ve heard about.
Happy Halloween!
Enjoy some fun facts about Halloween!
Halloween originated from the Gaelic festival Samhain (which is why the fear of Halloween is samhainophobia!) from over 2000 years ago. It marks the “darker half” of the year, and the end of the harvest season. As such, the Celtics believed that the spirits of the dead returned on the eve of the new year, and therefore used costumes to ward them off.
Jack o’ lanterns originate from a Irish tale about a man named Stingy Jack. His ghost was named “Jack of the Lantern” which was shortened to “Jack O’Lantern.”
Before the 1950s, candy actually wasn’t typically given out for trick-or-treating. Previously, popular items that were given out were fruits, nuts, and cake. In the 1950s, candy was once promoted for as treats for trick-or treating (which has existed since medieval times!) and became a staple ever since.
Candy corn, the supposed king of all Halloween candy, was previously known as “chicken feed” when it was first marketed in the late 19th century. More recently, other candies such as Skittles, Reese’s, and Starburst have risen as the most popular candy.
Haunted houses in America were first created during the Great Depression, with their original purpose being keeping kids off their lawns. However, this slowly became an entertainment attraction once people realized that they could charge money for entering.
Going into Fall Break, I was a little worried. Don’t get me wrong. I was looking forward to the reprieve from my classes, but I knew it would be the loneliest I had been since I arrived on campus in August. Being a highly extroverted person, this thought scared me and even made me start to dread the long weekend. However, in all my worrying I overlooked a fact my introverted counterparts are highly familiar with: solitude can bring about clarity. So to those of you who ask what I did over Fall Break, I respond: I did nothing, but learned a ton. Without further ado, here are the top five lessons I learned spending Fall Break on campus.
1. Make the best out of what you have
Something that was relatively unique to my Fall Break was the fact that I had a 10 page long take home midterm assigned. That – coupled with the fact that most of my friends left – should have made for a pretty miserable weekend, but in a weird twist, these two bad things actually complimented each other surprisingly well. I found that instead of being upset, I appreciated the fact that I had something to do while my friends were gone and that I didn’t feel pressure to finish my essay immediately.
2. Explore your surroundings
Usually when I walk somewhere on campus, I’m heading for a particular location. For the first time, I decided to walk to Main Campus without a particular purpose in mind, and I have to say I enjoyed it. Over break, I felt like I got to acquaint myself with campus a little bit more, and I know I am better off for it.
3. Reconnect with old friends
Our families aren’t the only ones we left back home. Almost all of us have friends we know from high school (or even earlier). Over break, I reached out to some of my own friends back home, and I’m so glad I got a chance to catch up with them. If you have the time, I highly recommend reaching out to some old friends. You’ll be surprised how nice it is to talk to them.
4. Branch out
One thing I quickly learned over break was that I still knew people on campus, even if they weren’t the people I normally spend my time with. I had many great conversations and experiences with those that I don’t normally spend long periods of time with and found it refreshing. I know this is something that would not have happened without my break being the way it was.
5. Focus on you
There’s nothing like everyone else flying across the country to make you focus on your own wellbeing. Over break, I took some time to reset and take care of myself. It was also the first time since arriving on campus that I got well over 8 hours of sleep. If you haven’t done this yet, you need to (and you shouldn’t wait until Thanksgiving to give it a try).
Final Thoughts
While I learned these lessons thanks to Fall Break, they shouldn’t be exclusively for that weekend. It was because I paused that I realized how important these things are. However, just because Fall Break is over doesn’t mean these practices should be.
Welcome back from Fall Break! Devin has the info on events happening in this busy week back, including a workshop at the Writing Studio, the Melodores fall concert, and Telling Stories Through Art.
Welcome back from Fall Break Commodores! On this edition of the official podcast of The Commons Dean Melissa Gresalfi talks about belonging, Cheryl delivers the Commons Calendar of events happening this week, and Richard sits down for a fantastic interview with Anwar Agha, a first year from Beirut, Lebanon living in Hank studying Economics on a pre-med track.