As it’s getting closer to Halloween, some organizations’ members are planning events to engage students in the spooky season vibe.

According to Program Board President Madison Clapsadle, board members are planning a trip to Six Flags on Oct. 12.

In addition to the trip, she said they will also be hosting the Create-A-Creature event Oct. 15 and their annual pumpkin hunt Oct 25.

Clapsadle said that bus information for Six Flags has been available online since Oct. 1.

“(The trip will cost $35) for students to go, and, this year we are trying to allow students to pay with cards or cash.

“Transportation will be provided and must be taken. Being we are going to (Maryland), students are not allowed to drive themselves. When a student pays for their ticket they will then have a stop reserve on the bus.”

She said that prizes for the pumpkin hunt have not been finalized yet, but they are planning to have bigger prizes this year, such as a Nintendo Switch, a TV and wireless headphones.

Another group that is planning events for Halloween are International Services Office members.

According to International Services and Programs Coordinator Renee Brown, they are having an International Halloween Night from 5 to 9 p.m. Oct 24 in the Cambria Room.

She said that the idea was brought up by English professor Tuangtip Klinbubpa-Neff, who thought it would great to mirror the international festival in the spring semester.

According to Brown, this is to be the first-ever international Halloween event on campus.

“To my knowledge, this is the first-time international services hosted an event that revolved around Halloween in different cultures.

  “​This idea to host an international Halloween night stemmed from a conversation between me, (Klinbubpa), English instructor Kim Douglas, and our international peer mentors.

“Personally, I think it is important to celebrate and learn about different cultures outside of our normal U.S. traditions. 

“Additionally, (I think) having one international festival in the spring is not enough. We had so much positive feedback regarding our spring festival from the international students, domestic students, faculty, staff, and community,” she said.

Brown said what is making the Halloween night international is that it is both a social outing and an informative event.

“The goal is to educate people about different ‘Halloween’ customs in various cultures such as: Dia De los Muertos (Day of the Dead); Kawasaki Halloween Parade (Japan); Day of Dracula (Romania); The Hungry Ghost Festival (Hong Kong); and so much more.”

Some of the activities of the events include, according to Brown, interactive poster presentations, vegan-style games and create-your-own-masks.

“This Halloween Festival will have some similarities to the Spring International Festival regarding poster presentations, and performances. However, it will have a Halloween theme. 

“For this event, we are trying to include more student organizations and host a costume competition. 

“Currently, we are still trying to figure out what the prize will be, but we recommend that everyone wears a costume and be ready to participate while having a lot of fun,” she said.