Tuesday evening, ghouls, ghosts and monsters alike took over the game room from 6-10 p.m. Although these haunted figures were only embodied by creative costumes, they creepily resembled creatures that might appear in a nightmare. The night was filled with spooky snacks, spectacular prizes and mysterious music. The DJ initiated the Boo Bash with the Halloween classic “Thriller” by Michael Jackson with the intention of sparking a dance movement among the crowd.
The Halloween DJ was accompanied by a magician who entertained the guests with magic tricks that left the crowd questioning their perceptions of reality.
Senior Justin Milton, the Vice President of Internal Programming for the Student Events Board and media and communications major was one of the many guests attending the Bash. Milton said his favorite part of the night was the costume contest. “My favorite costume was the guy dressed as a friendly granddad at a cookout,” said Milton.
The event wouldn’t have run so smoothly without the help of SEB and game room organizers. Boo Bash was co-organized by these two important student groups. Along with Boo Bash, SEB also hosted a haunted house Monday night in the University Center Ballroom, as well as Pumpkin Baseball, a Field of Screams bus trip, Paint Night and Breakfast and Bingo. SEB organizers had the idea to go big or go home: all of these events were in celebration of “Halloweek,” a widely promoted and celebrated week that leads up to Halloween.
The Halloween costume contest was the greatest hit of the night. Along with classic cat and ghost costumes, there were also some new and creative costumes competing for prizes. An Assassins Creed character made an appearance as well as a creepy Beetlejuice from the 1988 Halloween movie.
Calista Ogburn is a freshman and public health major.
“Halloween is my favorite holiday, so it was really exciting to celebrate my first Halloween at college here at UMBC,” said Ogburn. “I also went to the Haunted House on Monday. I love all the different opportunities this school gives us to be involved and celebrate my favorite holiday.”
The Halloweek celebrations gave a great opportunity for students to take a break from their midterms and celebrate the spookiest holiday of the year. Although the holiday has passed us, the game room, located on the third floor of the Commons, is always a great place for hardworking students to take a break from their busy lives at school and challenge their friends to a game of pool.
Senior social work major Hannah Pursley is one of student managers at the game room.
“I helped plan the event, decorate before the event, and facilitate the event from start to finish,” said Pursley. “Spaces like the Gameroom are important because they provide a safe, judgement-free space for students to hang out and de-stress with their peers.”
