Repost: Residence Life Office Reaches Out With Halloween Activities

Israel (age 2) is too busy with a lollipop to do any artwork

While Halloween is difficult for children in Frostburg, a group of FSU students provided an alternative to trick or treating. In an annual event hosted by the Residence Life Office, and put on in Annapolis and Cumberland Hall Sunday afternoon, local children were invited to the dorms to participate in an early holiday event.

The program featured a dozen craft or activity tables, along with stations for kids to pick up candy. While most of the activities featured stops for the children to paint masks, ghosts or pumpkins, there were also stations for games and cookie decoration.

Paige Hawkins, Racheal Beeman and Ronald Troutman held decorate ghosts.

Racheal Beeman, a first year resident assistant, was among the staff volunteers. "It's great giving back," she said, "Halloween is my favorite holiday, so getting an early start on the week was a great way to spend a weekend." Her supervisor, Kelsey Robertson, agreed. "I actually grew up just blocks from the school, and wish they hosted events like this when I was little."

RD Chandler Stroup prepares his staff for the trick or treaters.

It wasn't just the staff who was having a great time, but the participants as well. Michael Willison, the father of two participants, expressed his appreciation for the event. "When I was younger we actually went door to door in the dorms, but this is a better event for the younger kids. I was reluctant at first to bring Adam [his three year old son] into the dorms, but everyone has been incredibly friendly."

Adam seem to agree, though it was hard to understand his opinion through the mouth full of Tootsie Rolls he had just consumed.

The trick or treating event didn't thrill everyone, however, as some parents expressed disappointment with the lack of variety in the activities. "It's just a bunch of coloring," said Maria Garlitz, who attended with her son Jayden. "After too stations I was tired of sitting there watching him draw a different shape." This opinion was expressed by a small number of parents, but Eric Williams, who directed the event for RLO, sympathized. "There just aren't a lot of options for activities we can host with limited space."

Frostburg students weren't involved, but had their own impression of the trick or treating event. Sophomore student Jordan Burns, in her first semester at Frostburg, was shocked that there were children in the dorms to begin with. "I woke up, went to the bathroom, and came back to a hallway full of tiny people. They're cute, but I didn't expect them to sneak up on me."