The Spooky
Editors transform into their best Halloween costumes during Wednesday night layout.
Violet Ayers / The Spooky Ringer
Weekly Ringer
Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Callie Harkins
Executive Editor
Ky Huynh
Halloween hauntings occur across campus
MEAGHAN
VAN DYKE News Editor
Halloween on a historic campus can mean more than just costumes and school-sponsored events. For UMW students, October brings back the question of whether or not they believe in the ghost stories told to them at orientation.
“There was this one very, very present spirit that interacted with us really heavily in freshman year,” Munford said. “Like we would come back and things would be knocked over, and just a lot of inexplicable things would happen with the lights or with objects in the room.”
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Associate Editors
Emma Kingkeo
Grace Wagner
Thomas Jackson
News Editor
Meaghan Van Dyke
Opinion Editor
Ella Cordle
Life Editor
Chloe McCann
Sports Editor Enya Cea-Lavin
Online Editor Sophia Tompkins
Mary Washington’s presence on the site of a Civil War battlefield has inspired countless ghost stories in buildings across campus.
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Bell tower logo designed by Bernadette D’Auria ‘22
“There have been times where I’m walking alone or with a small group on Campus Walk and I can just feel a presence in one direction or another.”
- Riley Munford
For junior English creative writing major Sarah Moon, some buildings on campus have felt “haunted,” even though she hasn’t witnessed a ghost or paranormal figure firsthand.
“I also think that my freshman dorm, Westmoreland Hall, is haunted only because the vibes were just off,” she said. “So it’s just like a vibe thing more than like a physical ghost.”
She also sees the paranormal as an explanation for repeated campus anomalies, such as the Combs Hall elevator continuing to break down.
“It breaks all the time. Why? I don’t know,” Moon said.
Riley Munford, junior communication and digital studies and studio art double major, also believes that the supernatural is an explanation for out of the ordinary occurrences on campus. When she was living in Westmoreland Hall, Munford claims she had encounters with a ghost who lived in the dorm.
Munford says that she and her roommate came in contact with the Westmoreland Hall ghost and identified her as a female student who died in the residence hall before their time at Mary Washington. According to Munford, they constantly felt her presence in the room and nicknamed her Temperance.
“Every now and then, we just felt like she was nearby, just hanging out, because we could communicate with her and tell that she was there,” Munford said.
Westmoreland Hall is not the only place Munford has felt what she calls a “spiritual presence” on campus.
“There have been times where I’m walking alone or with a small group on Campus Walk and I can just feel like a presence in one direction or another, and I’m able to just look that way and identify what’s there,” Munford said.
Junior English creative writing major Hannah Holstrom remembers rumors of ghosts she heard during her time living in Virginia Hall.
“I know that on campus, like when I lived in Virginia Hall, a lot of other people would tell me that it felt creepy sometimes,” Holstrom said. “There was a rumor that someone died in there and a lot of people believed that it was haunted and that there was a ghost.”
Holstrom personally does not believe in ghosts. She does, however, believe that buildings have an energy that could make something feel “haunted,” and understands that could be a reason many of her peers feel uneasy in certain places around campus.
“I believe that if something happened in a place like the place holds on to like that history, even if there’s not a ghost, I think a place can still have an energy to it,” Holstrom said.
Teresa Larrea -Santillan, a senior philosophy and Spanish double major, also heard stories of the ghost in the Virginia Hall basement.
“I didn’t think it was haunted. It seemed pretty okay in there, but I had to go do laundry late at night, I was a little scared,” Larrea-Santillan said.
“Sometimes walking around campus late at night can be a little spooky, but I don’t know if that’s because there are ghosts. I mean, there might be, there probably is.”
- Teresa Larrea-Santillan
UMW students may not all believe in the traditional sheet ghost superstitions associated with Halloween, but the over 100 year old campus still holds a sense of mystery for even the most staunch unbelievers.
“Sometimes walking around campus late at night can be a little spooky, but I don’t know if that’s because there are ghosts. I mean, there might be, there probably is,” Larrea-Santillan said.
Campus Walk is known for its spooky Halloween atmosphere. Violet Ayers / The Spooky Ringer
Many UMW students report feeling uneasy while walking around campus. Since Mary Washington sits on the site of a Civil War battlefield, rumors of ghost stories are countless. From Brompton House to Virginia Hall, several buildings on campus are said to be haunted. Violet Ayers / The Spooky Ringer
People should be allowed to hate Halloween
ELLA CORDLE Opinion Editor
Halloween is one of the most popular holidays celebrated in the United States, garnering millions of trickor-treaters every year. Despite the fact that it’s only celebrated for one night, costumes are fastidiously prepared and shelves are stocked with spooky merchandise months in advance. Houses are covered in cobwebs, extravagant parties are planned and gallons of candy are purchased.
Every year, the fall season is dominated by how much everyone loves Halloween. Everyone except for me. Or at least, that’s how it feels.
It’s not just that I’m an adult who has lost my childhood sense of wonder; I’ve never liked Halloween. It’s never appealed to me at any stage of my life. Not childhood trick-or-treating, adolescent shenanigans or college costume ragers.
There are, from what I’ve surmised over the years, three main components to Halloween that people enjoy: costumes, candy and spooky stuff. I’m not convinced on any of these fronts.
All pre-made Halloween costumes I see are the cheapest, grossest-looking, most expensive garments imaginable. Ooh, polyester and nylon Snow White for only $40? What a steal.
Kudos to anyone who makes their own costume, but the people on social media who spend $500 assembling their own hyper-detailed and accurate costumes on Amazon embody overconsumption at its most sickening. If you have that kind of money to spend on Halloween, you could at least commission a human for your costume.
The oversexualization of Halloween costumes is also crazy, considering it’s a holiday geared towards children. I wanted to be a tiger when I was seven, but the only costume I could find had a mini skirt and a faux-corset bodice. For a seven year old.
It’s also not seasonally appropriate to dress skimpy. Halloween is usually pretty cold. To each their own, but I can’t imagine it’s worth it.
As for the candy, does anyone actually like candy corn? It’s so often associated with Halloween, and yet it’s disgusting and I never see anyone eating it.
That, and it contains gelatin, along with many other popular candies. Starbursts, jelly beans and nearly every kind of gummy include gelatin as a main ingredient. Gela-
tin is primarily made from pork and cattle bones, making it an unfortunate addition to Halloween candy for vegans, vegetarians and many practicing Islam, Hinduism or Judaism.
And don’t even get me started on nut allergies. It’s so strange to give out free candy to children without any idea of whether they can eat it or not. Halloween must be a nightmare for anyone with severe allergies. Some don’t even need to take a bite to trigger anaphylaxis, just being in the general vicinity of a Snickers bar can be life-threatening.
The pressure put on children to universally cherish Halloween candy when so much of it is inedible to so many people is weird and sad. Kids who can’t eat their Halloween candy probably feel like they’re missing out on a quintessential childhood experience for no reason. I would know because I was one of them.
Also, no one ever gives out Whoppers and those are the best type of candy, so that sucks too.
Finally, there’s the spooky, scary, creepy-crawly Hal-
loween vibes. Horror movies and extensive thematic decorations and scaring the life out of your loved ones. Apparently, that’s all supposed to be appealing.
I don’t personally like horror movies, but they’re not exclusive to Halloween. You can watch them any time throughout the year in all their gory and poorly-produced glory.
As for Halloween decor, overconsumption rears its ugly head yet again. Think about how much Halloween junk there is at every store for months leading up to October. Think about how many people throw away their spiders and cobwebs and plastic skeletons every year and buy more the next year. The ever-growing mounds of plastic garbage across planet earth are well-fed during Halloween.
Not only are Halloween decorations wasteful, but they’re also gross. Fake blood and eyeballs and towering, talking zombies are certainly freaky, but it’s not in a fun way. The other day, someone’s lawn decorations spoke to me and I nearly jumped out of my skin. On my way back, I crossed to the other side of the street to avoid it.
Overall, I just don’t like being scared. I’ve never understood why people want that negative adrenaline pumping through their system. All it takes is one dad dressed as a clown jumping out at the wrong kid to create lifelong trauma, something that seems to be encouraged on Halloween.
By far the most infuriating part of Halloween, though, is the way people act like you’ve committed a crime if you don’t like it, or don’t want to participate or aren’t as excited as they feel you should be. I’m an adult, I should be allowed to not like Halloween without having my character attacked, which has happened to me multiple times this month. Every time a friend, or classmate or coworker asks me about my Halloween plans and I respond that I never really do anything for Halloween, it turns into a 30 minute conversation about what atrocities I must have experienced in my childhood to make me this way. Halloween is overrated and not everyone has to like it. If you’re excited about it this year, that’s great. But there are a lot of good reasons not to be.
To anyone who feels alone in their hatred of Halloween, I support you. Don’t let the Halloween fiends make you feel like you’re missing something, because you’re not.
Giant Food, located on Emancipation Highway, has a fully-stocked Halloween candy aisle. Violet Ayers / The Spooky Ringer
Located on College Ave across the street from campus, this house’s decorations scared me half to death. Violet Ayers / The Spooky Ringer
Students display Halloween spirit through dorm decor
GRACE WAGNER Assocciate Editor
Every October, the University of Mary Washington comes alive with spooky spirit as students transform their dorms into haunted havens for Halloween. Cobwebs drape over doors, pumpkins line the hallways and glowing string lights flicker through the windows.
The annual tradition of decorating dorms has become one of UMW’s most anticipated fall activities and a festive way to avoid midterm exam season.
“It’s one of the best parts of the fall semester,” said junior political science and English double major Allie Schwartz. “It brings everyone together and encourages people to stay on campus and throw their own parties.”
Students spend weeks planning their themes, from classic haunted houses and witchy wonderlands to pop-culture-inspired displays. Some Residence Assistants coordinate entire floor-wide motifs, while others go all-out individually, crafting homemade decorations.
“Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I love spending it here,” said junior studio art major Lucy Hagerman. “It is so fun to go to friends’ dorms and see all their fun decorations and get inspired.”
The decorating tradition highlights what makes UMW’s campus community special: connection and creativity.
As midterms fade and autumn colors settle over campus, the sight of glowing pumpkins and spooky decor reminds everyone that college life isn’t just about studying. It’s also about celebrating together.
Whether it’s a ghost in the window, a candy cauldron by the door, or a hallway turned haunted corridor, UMW students prove that the spirit of Halloween is alive and thriving in every corner of campus.
Students showcase their pumpkin carving skills with illuminating Jack O’ Lanterns that enlighten the campus in cheery October spirit. Explore the vast decor that surronds apartments and dorms on campus, bringing a friendly aura of Halloween spirit and fun to UMW students. Grace Wagner / The Spooky Ringer
Witches, ghosts, ghouls and monsters accompany students inside and outside their dorms. With doors of dorms being decorated in a variety of cobwebs or cut-out pumpkins, students show-off their love of everything scary. Anna Goodman / The Spooky Ringer
“Happy Halloween” screams as students walk around their dorm halls. With twisted cobwebs and frightening ghouls, students are consumed by the Halloween spirit. Anna Goodman / The Spooky Ringer
Walk past the doors in the UMW dorms to find students’ unique Halloween decor. Anna Goodman/ The Weekly Ringer
In honor of Halloween, UMW’s dorm hallways ooze with scary and spirited decor. Anna Goodman / The Spooky Ringer
Personal Essay: The steps to create my costume
Editor
Halloween is my favorite time of year, not for the candy or the scares, but because Halloween means Halloween costumes. Deciding on what I’m going to wear has always been something I look forward to every year. This year, Halloween gave me the chance to utilize the newly developed costume design skills I’ve obtained during my time in UMW Theatre’s costume shop.
I first started working with costumes in middle school, where I helped design and create garments for my school and local community theatre. In my high school theatre department, I was the chair of the costume crew, and started noticing the intricacies of the clothing in every production I watched.
When I got to UMW, I assisted in making costumes for the shows produced in Klein Theatre and took the Costume Design class. This class helped me learn the techniques to customize my designs so it looked exactly like what I wanted. Thus began my love for creating elaborate Halloween costumes.
When I watched the TV show “Shadow and Bone,” I was mesmerized by the clothing design. The elegance and attention to detail in the show’s costume design enhanced the show’s quality and look. So, when it came to deciding on what to wear this weekend, I knew I wanted to do something from the show.
I landed on character Alina Starkov’s black Kefta, a special type of coat, worn during the winter fete, a fancy ball that takes place in the books.
The costume is a long, silky black coat that falls to the floor and is covered in gold embroidery and small black beads. The gold embroidery placed along the collar, going down the shirt and along the hem mimics exploding sunbursts.
I began designing my outfit in my head and eventually decided against wearing a long black coat all day on Halloween. It feels impractical to wear a floor-length coat at work, especially because I don’t want to overheat in my costume.
When it came time to start compiling the pieces for the costume, my friend and I went thrifting together to look for a dress that would both fit physically and aesthetically. After searching and searching, I was almost ready to give up, until, at the last store of the day, I found a black dress that had a V-neckline and an A-line skirt—exactly what I was looking for. Afterwards, we went to a craft store and got high-intensity and low-intensity gold ribbons to mimic the two different colors of embroidery used in the dress.
At home, I borrowed my roommate’s chalk pen and got to work drawing out what the embroidery would look like. Once I had it drawn out, I started to cut the ribbon to the length and width that I needed. Then I shaped the ribbon to the chalk and glued it down using fabric glue.
I wanted the top of the dress to look like sunbeams exploding out of the neckline line and the back mimicked the shape, even though there was no V-neckline. The Kefta I am basing my dress on had gold embroidery running down the edges of the coat.
To translate this to my dress, I drew a chalk line down the center of the dress and put ribbon bursting out from that line. For the hem line, I drew out the suns across the hem and glued the ribbon down. I did the same for the back of the dress.
Creating this costume took a bit over a week. I started working on the costume last Sunday and worked on it on and off until Monday.
The biggest challenge for me was not being able to work on it for long stretches of time. The texture of the glue and the glitter on the ribbon would start to bother me after working on the costume for a while. I had to stop working on it for a while so I didn’t go crazy.
In order to avoid losing momentum with the costume, I split the costume into four sections: front top, back top, front skirt and back skirt. I worked on one section at a time, so it prevented the textures of the materials from bothering me too much. Once I finished gluing everything down, I let it dry and it was ready to wear.
SOPHIA TOMPKINS Online
Halloween costumes are the key to keeping the Halloween traditions alive for college students all across campus. Violet Ayers / The Spooky Ringer
As Halloween approaches, students tackle the process of designing the perfect costume. The costumization of a costume can either break or make your Halloween. Violet Ayers / The Spooky Ringer
For some students, finding the perfect costume becomes the biggest struggle to face in the Halloween season. Violet Ayers / The Spooky Ringer
OPEN in klein theatre November 5*23 TICKETS ARE $5 w/ UMW ID AT THE KLEIN THEATRE BOX OFFICE IN THE LOBBY OF DUPONT HALL (Limit TWO tickets per UMW ID)
Friday, October 31, 2025
UMW students travel elsewhere for Halloween weekend
CAROLINE PREUSS Staff Writer
With its long history and haunted legends, UMW seems like the perfect place for a spooky Halloween night. However, as the day approaches, many students pack their bags and head to larger cities or universities for the festivities.
In a poll of nearly 100 students conducted by The Weekly Ringer, 56% of respondents said they leave campus to visit another college or university for Halloween weekend. James Madison University, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia were among destinations named.
“UMW has a good presence for Halloween,” said freshman Madeleine Gillikan. “But I’m going to James Madison University to get a big Halloween experience with thousands of people.”
Awa Fall, a sophomore philosophy: pre-law major, believes that larger schools like JMU have a better reputation for Halloween fun because of their larger student body and higher energy.
“UMW is not the best place to have parties,” she said. “JMU is known for being a big party university, and I wanted to have fun, so I feel it’s better to just go there.”
Fall continued, “There is not a lot of partying going on here, no one is talking about anything big happening, especially for Halloween. If something were happening here, we wouldn’t have to leave to have a party.”
For those who don’t visit another university but still leave campus, cities like Richmond and Washington, D.C. are popular party spots.
“I’m planning to go to Richmond with my roommates for Halloween,” said Jessica Gross, a sophomore theatre and marketing double major. “Their dad does a really massive haunted house.”
“There is not a lot of partying going on here, no one is talking about anything big happening especially for Halloween. If something were happening here, we wouldn’t have to leave to have a party.”
- Awa Fall
39% of survey respondents said they plan to stay on campus to participate in campus events, host their own parties or relax with friends.
“My friends and I, we’re going out trick or treating,” said Caroline Rous, a sophomore theatre major, who is staying on campus for Halloween weekend. “After that, we’re going to a friend’s house, she’s having a little Halloween party there.”
Campus hubs like the Cedric Rucker University Center and Panera make an effort to be Halloween-themed for those who stay in Fredericksburg, with decorations like spiderwebs, bats and pumpkins.
“Everything at the dining hall is very Halloween themed. There are little bats on the cupcakes and people come dressed up to eat dinner,” said Rous. “I really like seeing that even if I don’t have the time to dress up.”
Several students in the poll highlighted events such as the Ghostwalk and Scary Washington, organized by the Historic Preservation Club and the Office of Student Activities and Engagement, respectively. Still, 72% of respondents said UMW is “not really” a big Halloween school, and 20% said it’s “not at all.”
“It feels like everyone puts in effort, from clubs hosting events to students decorating their halls, and the atmosphere on campus is really good. There is something about the old buildings and the history of the university that makes Halloween special here.”
- Darine Djellel
Darine Djellel, a junior political science and international affairs double major, feels that even though UMW is a smaller school, there are still students who participate in the university’s Halloween events.
“It feels like everyone puts in effort, from clubs hosting events to students decorating their halls, and the atmosphere on campus is just really good,” he said.
Djellel continued, “There is something about the old buildings and the history of the university that makes Halloween special here.”
Several respondents said they would like to see a larger, campus-wide Halloween event in the future.
“I think it’d be nice for the Halloween spirit, to have a party or bigger event here,” said freshman Sierra Hunt.
Crime Column
MEAGHAN VAN DYKE News Editor
The Crime Column is based on UMW Police reports from Oct. 22 to Oct. 29.
There has been no crime reported since the Spooky Ringer’s last publication on Oct. 24.
For students who stay on campus, Scary Washington is one of the most popular on campus events, as advertised by pumpkin people set up around campus. Anna Goodman / The Spooky Ringer
UMW cross country and women’s club soccer celebrate Halloween at practice
THOMAS JACKSON Associate Editor
Halloween costumes found their way into practice during these ghoulish times. Both the UMW cross country team and women’s club soccer celebrated the season by adorning elaborate costumes this week as they prepared for upcoming competitions.
Changing the normal routine of practice creates an environment primed for team-bonding and gives a type of relief before important games, meets or midterms.
Cross country’s next meet will be the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference championships in California and women’s club soccer’s next match will be Nov. 8 at William and Mary College. Both teams will unfortunately not still be in costume.
ENYA CEA-LAVIN Sports Editor
Men’s Soccer (8-6-3) Oct. 25 vs Salisbury University (1-1)
Women’s Soccer (12-2-4)
Oct. 25 vs St. Mary’s College of Maryland (4-0) Oct 28. at University of Lynchburg (0-0)
Volleyball (8-19)
Oct. 25 vs. Johns Hopkins University (0-3) Oct. 28 vs. Roanoke College (3-0) Nov. 1 at Salisbury University
Men’s Rugby (1-4) Oct. 25 vs. Life University (3-55) Nov 8 at Southern Virginia University
Women’s Rugby (4-2)
Oct. 25 at Townson University (1922)
Nov. 1 at University of Delaware
Field Hockey (11-5)
Oct. 25 at Centre College (4-0) Oct. 26 at Transylvania University (12-0)
Nov. 2 vs. Sewanee
“Practice can be really tough, and dressing up could definitely make it better,” says freshman cross country athlete Celeste Hammond. Thomas Jackson / The Spooky Ringer
UMW women’s club soccer players dress up as Greg and Rowley from Diary Of A Wimpy Kid during the team’s Halloween practice. Thomas Jackson / The Spooky Ringer
The women’s club soccer team dresses up for their Halloween costume practice on Wednesday, October 29. Their costumes ranged from corn on the cob to Twighlight characters. Thomas Jackson / The Spooky Ringer
Women’s club soccer players dress up as the robbing of the Louvre. Thomas Jackson / The Spooky Ringer
Cross country runners wear jerseys to their costume practice. Thomas Jackson / The Spooky Ringer