Sonja Michaels | Editor-in-Chief

The only student-run newspaper at Florida Tech.
Sonja Michaels | Editor-in-Chief
Sonja Michaels | Editor-in-Chief
This album starts out with a deep, sounding bass. As the bass drones on, it takes the listener’s mental landscape to the gray, clouded side of an isolated mountain. A drum begins to slowly pound, guiding the first steps down the mountain. Pausing, a moment of silence occurs. It erupts into chaos before fading out into whispers.
What a way to start an album.
Track two, “Vagabond”, takes us back in to some “usual” Ghostemane. There’s a pleasant variety of sounds going on. The listener is led to believe they’re hearing rap, but pounding drums come in at 1:20 and launch the listener back to early 2010s Warped Tour.
Three songs in, we reach “Lazaretto.” Is it metal? Is it hardcore? It’s hard to determine.
Ghostemane, or Eric Whitney, has roots in hardcore punk and metal. A Florida native, Whitney, played guitar and drums in multiple bands early in his musical career. Leaving Southern Florida seemed to coincide with a shift to a more rap-oriented career; Whitney moved to Los Angeles in 2015, and has formed or participated in numerous projects outside of Ghostemane.
So far the hallmark of this album is the careful manipulation of all the sounds. Yes, there are harsh sounds, but they all feel intentional. They are foiled by some soft, distorted vocals whispering to the listener at transition points. Ghostemane walks the line between grating effects and smooth soundscapes.
“Sacrilege” deserves to be listened to with an excellent sound system. The mix of real drum sounds and hyper-computery processed synths is the best whiplash between metal and synth-pop. The word pop isn’t the first you’d expect to hear in a Ghostemane review, but the first half of the song is filled out enough with danceable synths that harken back to the ‘80s that it’s hard to ignore.
Each song on “ANTI-ICON” has a different feel, but there are some uniform sounds and feelings. These songs are all part of the same journey through the album’s soundscape. In some places it is more organic, with acoustic and natural-sounding instruments evoking images of storms and empty nature, where in others the listener can only envision a hardcore band rocking out in a garage.
“Fed Up” stands out, mostly because Whitney shows restraint when it comes to the rapping. The lower, gravelly mumbles blend well with a video-game like bass tone. His higher-pitched, clean vocals are well mixed, not overly contrasting with one of the calmer songs on the album. It is just powerful enough. A minimalist, metallic outro ties this song off. “Fed Up” is understated – and for that, it can’t be overrated.
“The Winds of Change”. Right away a more organic instrument catches the listener’s attention. The sounds and tones evoke images of ‘90s alternative and emo bands like Sunny Day Real Estate or Twelve Hour Turn. This is the kind of song that makes you want to lay on the floor, stare at the ceiling and drift away into your thoughts for a while. A developed musician knows where an instrumental break belongs – Ghoste nailed it with this one.
Slower parts or songs like “Melancholic” demonstrate Ghoste’s versatility. Sure, you can defy a genre – but he takes it to the next level by showing diversity even in his own fantastically strange sound.
This album is diverse, but a common vibe exists. While paces and instruments vary, familiar bass tones and synth instruments appear throughout. Many of the lyrics are classic Ghostemane, addressing the dark themes he is known for.
Whitney takes the influences of rap, hardcore, punk, and more, pulling them all together to create an album that defies any one genre. Past Ghostemane albums have been unique, creative, and well-done; “ANTI-ICON” enters a new realm, acting as the carefully crafted, complete and refined work of a skilled artist.
The widely anticipated “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” opens in theaters on Dec. 20. Disney and Lucasfilm have said this is the end of the “Skywalker Saga.”
The “Skywalker Saga” is all of the episodic Star Wars films produced up until this point.
Beginning with the adventures of Luke, Han and Leia, then the prequel trilogy focusing on Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padme, the sequel trilogy finally wraps up starring Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn and Poe.
With such a monumental nerd chapter coming to a close, here are my full Star Wars movie rankings—including the anthology films—and a quick predictions section for “The Rise of Skywalker.”
Bogged down by a force-fed love story between Anakin and Padme, “Attack of the Clones” is filled with poor acting and head-scratching story decisions. Obi-Wan’s arc is easily the best part.
Remove Jar Jar Binks and this would still probably rank ninth on my list. In one movie, George Lucas ruined everything we thought we knew about the Force and turned Darth Vader into a whiny little kid. We do, however, get one of the best lightsaber fights ever between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gonn Ginn and Darth Maul (shoutout to the music “Duel of the Fates” playing).
Finally, we get to see Anakin become Darth Vader. Oh wait, maybe we didn’t want to see little Ani mercilessly kill younglings. In all honesty, this is probably the only prequel that I enjoy watching out of the three, mainly because there is real emotion when they execute Order 66. Also, the final fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan does pull at a few of my heartstrings.
This may seem like I am ranking this movie low, but I actually enjoy “Solo.” The story, characters and action sequences are all enjoyable but it doesn’t provide any unforgettable moments in my opinion. While Alden Ehrenreich does the best he can playing Han Solo, my biggest problem with this movie is that he’s not Harrison Ford. Obviously, it would be impossible for Ford to play this aged character now but that just makes me question if we really needed this movie at all.
This is exactly what a “Star Wars story” should be: a well-crafted story around likable characters that we grow to quickly love throughout the film. We only see one lightsaber (the one and only Darth Vader’s) and it is one of the best scenes in Star Wars history. Not only does this movie perfectly lead into “A New Hope,” but it provides us with the “wow” factor we all crave when journeying to a galaxy far, far away.
This was nearly placed at number six on my list, but despite all the movie does wrong, the super sweaty, gasping-for-air moments in this movie give it the nod over “Rogue One.” Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo, is my favorite character of the new trilogy and I love everything he does in this movie. All of the moments between him and Rey are great (#TeamReylo), and their brief team-up against Snoke’s guards is pure Star Wars bliss.
Back where it all began. The teaching between Obi-Wan and Luke learning what the Force is, our first appearance of Han and Chewbacca, Darth Vader force-choking his subordinates and the beginnings of an iconic friendship between Luke, Han and Leia. The original Star Wars film will always hold a special place in our little nerd hearts.
Some take points off for being very similar to “A New Hope” but I absolutely love “The Force Awakens,” even with the blatant copying. Star Killer Base was a misfire. However, seeing a Storm Trooper—Finn—go rogue, being introduced to the best pilot in the resistance—Poe—and meeting our midi-chlorian-filled scavenger Rey are all great character moments and sets the foundation for the next three movies. Also, Han (rest in peace), Chewy and Leia are heavily featured and it feels like a dream come true.
I do not mind the Ewoks. Inject the throne scene between the Emperor, Vader and Luke directly into my veins. Next.
If this isn’t your favorite Star Wars movie are you really even a Star Wars fan? Some of the best elements are the battle of Hoth, Luke training with Yoda and Lando Calrissian and Cloud City. This movie also has some of the best moments of dialogue, including the moment between Han and Leia where she proclaims her love for him and he simply responds, “I know.”
There’s also this iconic exchange between Luke and Vader:
Luke: I’ll never join you!
Vader: If only you knew the power of the Dark Side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.
Luke: He told me enough! He told me you killed him!
Vader: No, I am your father.
The Rise of Skywalker questions/predictions:
Evans Library embraced the Gothic style of Edgar Allen Poe on Nov. 1 for the most recent Reel Reads event, “Poe’s Spooktacular Tales: From Page to Scream.”
Reel Reads is a literature and film series hosted by Florida Tech’s School of Arts and Communication.
Poe established himself as a notable writer and editor in the mid-19th century, according to the Academy of American Poets.
“It’s a great tie-in to do it around Halloween,” said Debbie Lelekis, an English professor at Florida Tech. “Edgar Allen Poe was a natural selection for that.”
He was also prolific in the Gothic horror genre. Lelekis, along with fellow English professors Melissa Crofton and Angela Tenga, presented an analysis of Poe’s works and their modern adaptations.
During the analysis, Crofton explained that Poe’s works often resonates with her students.
The professors then opened the floor for audience members to speak about their personal interest in Poe’s work or how they discovered him.
“He exposes us for what humans fear,” Lelekis said regarding the value of Poe’s works. “We can make connections to our own lives.”
Poe’s presence in modern pop culture was a focus of the panel.
Clips were shown of Netflix’s “Altered Carbon,” a series that features an artificially intelligent character modeled after Poe.
A trailer for “The Raven,” a 2012 film where Poe is portrayed by John Cusack, was also shown.
In the film, Poe must work to prevent a serial killer from recreating the deaths from his literary works.
“The Cask of Amontillado” is one of those works, a story of one man taking fatal revenge on a friend he believes has wronged him.
Cheryl Davis, Evans Library’s distance learning librarian, took to the podium twice to read excerpts from “The Cask of Amontillado.”
Victoria Smith, Evans’ resource sharing specialist, gave a reading of “The Raven.”
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,” she began the poetry reading in a resonant tone.
In pop culture, many of the details of Poe’s personal life are disputed, leaving many aspects of his biography unclear.
“I think most of his stories intrigue people partly because of [that] mystery surrounding Poe himself,” Lelekis said.
She said that his works help people to examine human nature.
“It helps us understand ourselves better, which is something everyone needs to do no matter what your major is or what your career path is,” Lelekis said.
The Walt Disney Company is coming for us all.
Swiftly after Disney bought out 21st Century Fox for a cool $71.3 billion— feel free to meditate on that number a bit—they are now launching their own streaming service.
This is a continuation of the recent trend towards streaming subscription services like Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime and many more.
Disney+ has a lot of factors working in its favor, specifically price, audience and future.
Disney+ costs $6.99 per month, or $69.99 per year— $5.83 per month.
In August, Disney announced that if you sign up for the D23 Official Disney Fan Club, you could sign up for a three-year commitment for just $140.97.
That’s $46.99 per year or $3.92 per month. Demand for the offer reportedly caused so much traffic that the D23 website temporarily crashed.
The chart below shows how Disney+ stacks up against competing streaming services.
The lack of variety in packages, I believe, is a benefit for Disney+.
Alternatively, Disney is offering a package of Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu with ads for just $12.99.
In May, Disney acquired Comcast’s one-third stake in Hulu and took full control of the streaming service.
This three-service package by Disney is a power move and clearly is targeted at competing with Netflix’s $12.99 standard price.
So why would anyone choose Disney+ exclusively over Netflix?
The fundamental flaw with Disney+ is that they will only offer Disney’s own properties.
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with that, but it may not be for everyone.
On the other hand, with the acquisition of Fox, their library of content now contains properties like “The Simpsons,” “Home Alone” and the original Star Wars trilogy, to name a few.
Speaking of Star Wars, if you’re a fan of the franchise Disney+ is a must.
“The Mandalorian,” a brand new Star Wars show, is available on Disney+ from launch.
As a huge Star Wars fan, I cannot wait for this show to begin; it will be the first thing I watch on Disney+.
If you’re like me and love Star Wars, you may also enjoy the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Again, if you’re an MCU fan, Disney+ is crucial to have. Not only will their movies be slowly rolling out onto the service, but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has announced eight Disney+ exclusive shows.
Feige has made it clear that these new shows hold equal weight to the movies.
As a Marvel superfan, it would be virtually impossible to not subscribe. So what about those who aren’t sweating over every word that Feige utters?
Anyone watch the Disney Channel growing up?
Not only are classics like “High School Musical,” “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody” and “That’s So Raven” going to be available on the new service, but a continuation of “Lizzie McGuire” exclusively on Disney+ is in the works.
The 6-year-old me that truly believed he was going to marry Hillary Duff is very excited about this new series.
Honestly, the array of Disney Channel Original movies and shows that were going to be available from day one may have been worth the price for me solely based on nostalgia.
Speaking of nostalgia, Disney classic animated movies such as “The Lion King,” “Mulan,” “Beauty and the Beast” and more will be unvaulted and neatly stored in Disney+.
For anyone with kids or if you are a kid trapped in an adult’s body like me, the $6.99 a month will probably be well worth it.
If you’re into more PG-13 and above rated material, Disney+ may not be the service for you.
This is Disney after all, so if you want to watch horror movies or raunchy comedies, just keep mooching off your ex’s Netflix account.
This category may be Disney+’s greatest strength.
The streaming service is going to be very reliant on old shows and movies upon release, but over the next few years, it will become overflowing with original and exclusive content.
Disney properties up until this point have lived on places like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
The launch of Disney+ doesn’t just add new competition with new content, it weakens its direct competitors.
I would be surprised if Netflix doesn’t lower its price sometime in the near future, as they are going to have to rely more and more on original content to stay afloat.
Disney+ is going to have an immediate impact on the streaming service world, especially due to the prices and ranges of people that may be interested.
It appears Disney’s strategy is to get as many people as possible signed up from the beginning; then in probably two to three years bump the price up just like we’ve seen with Netflix and Hulu.
So, my advice is to enjoy Disney+ now while it’s price feels more like an add-on payment, rather than having to cut ties with another service.
The present and future of home entertainment lie within streaming services and Disney+ may soon change the entire industry.
Adolescence is well-documented in music as the time in our lives that we are stuck in Whatever-town, USA, feeling invincible.
The one thing that’s harder to write music about is what comes next: our early 20s.
Nine Inch Nails’ “Pretty Hate Machine” details this phase of life with vulnerable lyrical content laid over a foundation of alternative rock and—perhaps more unexpectedly—80s dance music.
The album just turned 30 this October, and it’s as powerful as ever.
By the time we hit our 20s, we are much more free to choose where we are and what we do, yet we can still get lost in the search for our identities.
We may not know what it is we want to do, and we may struggle to understand why the people or forces in our lives do what they do.
While “Pretty Hate Machine” doesn’t answer these questions, it certainly details that confusion, and the personal growth that comes with it, with refreshing poignancy.
For the sake of cathartic listening, that might be more important than answers. “Really, ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ was born from tinkering around in the studio at night,” frontman Trent Reznor told Kory Grow of Rolling Stone in 2019.
Reznor was the sole official member of the band until the addition of English musician and composer Atticus Ross in 2016.
The pair are longtime collaborators, with much of their work consisting of film scoring.
They won the Oscar for “Best Original Score” in 2010 for “The Social Network.”
“I was up above it/now I’m down in it.”
The “it” in “Pretty Hate Machine’s” debut single, “Down In It,” is never specified, but there are plenty of high places in life that one can come crashing down from.
The so-very-80s dance beat contrasts with the themes of loss of identity and change, which come to a head in the concluding lyric: “And what I used to think was me, is just a fading memory/I looked him right in the eye and said goodbye.”
A debut album is a special thing. It exists without any expectations based on previous albums or a band’s public persona; there’s a unique honesty to a first album.
Reznor touched on this honesty in the same Rolling Stone interview: “Once I got over the hump of, ‘I could never say that out loud to other people,’ there was an authenticity and truthfulness that I think resonated.”
It must have resonated, as nine full-length albums later, the band is 13-time Grammy nominated, and is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee for the third time.
The album itself was remastered and repackaged in 2010.
Those following albums from Nine Inch Nails show no hesitation on personal or controversial subjects.
This initial pursuit of authenticity on “Pretty Hate Machine” opened the door for more aggressive albums like its 1994 successor, “The Downward Spiral,” and its themes of identity and one’s relationship with the world are prominent in 2004’s “With Teeth.”
And just as the album must have come, in part, out of the sounds of bands like Depeche Mode, its influence can be heard today—in some surprising places.
In 2019, the Netflix series “Black Mirror” featured a pop remix of opening track “Head Like a Hole” performed by Miley Cyrus.
Rapper Ghostemane’s 2018 album “N/O/I/S/E” echoes “Pretty Hate Machine” in synth selections and lyrical content. “Pretty Hate Machine” endures as the first glimpse into the influential industrial project Nine Inch Nails would become.
This album came out before Nine Inch Nails found their fame, and before Reznor and Ross became awardwinning film composers.
It is the work of a 20-something guy working as a janitor at a recording studio, figuring out who he was as a songwriter.
As 20-somethings figuring out who we are in our own lives, “Pretty Hate Machine” is a powerful work of music.
During a recent interview with Empire, beloved Director Martin Scorsese called comic book movies, specifically Marvel, “not cinema.”
He went on to say the best comparison for them is theme parks.
Instead of writing a thousand words on how these comments are ridiculous and Scorsese is just a grumpy old man (trust me, I almost went there), I have been able to take a step back and have come to a conclusion. Who cares?
I’m not backing down as a Marvel superfan, nor am I trying to discredit Scorsese’s opinion.
Cinema can be defined simply as movies or motion pictures, but a secondary definition according to Meriam-Webster Dictionary is, “the art or technique of making motion pictures.”
This seems to be the definition Scorsese meant when critiquing comic book movies.
Later during his interview with Empire, he explained his stance, saying, “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
Now while I do not agree, I understand.
Scorsese is basically trying to say Marvel movies rely too much on the big explosions, computer graphics and lighthearted comedy to be considered real cinema.
Scorsese also admitted to not watching Marvel movies despite trying.
While this is clearly an outsider’s point of view looking in, the nine-time Academy Award nominee’s opinions still hold great weight—enough so that the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr. and Natalie Portman defended Marvel movies as cinema.
Unfortunately, fellow iconic director Francis Ford Coppola went one step too far when adding onto Scorsese’s comments.
In an interview with Yahoo! Coppola said that Scorsese “was kind when he said it’s not cinema. He didn’t say it’s despicable, which I just say it is.”
Grumpy old man alert! He explained why he agreed that Marvel movies aren’t cinema.
“We expect to learn something from cinema,” Coppola said. “We expect to gain something, some enlightenment, some knowledge, some inspiration.”
Nerd alert incoming! Inspiration?
These movies inspire, especially children, to use their gifts for the greater good.
For example, Peter Parker (oh no, here he goes again) was just a nerdy teen trying to work his way through school.
He didn’t seek his great power, but once he had it, he took on the great responsibility.
He used his gifts to help and protect his community.
The point wasn’t that he could lift a car or climb walls—it was that he was given amazing abilities and how he used them was all that mattered.
We may not be able to swing through New York City or stop a speeding train, but we all have our own gifts and they only matter if we use them to the best of our abilities.
To be frank, Mr. Coppola, I was a pretty freaking inspired six-year-old watching Spider-Man 2 on repeat.
So the question is, why the sudden bashing of the incredibly successful Marvel movies that have recently been released?
Well, I think that is exactly it: Marvel movies are insanely successful. Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” is the highest-grossing film of all time, bringing in just under $2.8 billion.
They have also had an effect on the rest of the industry, especially genre films.
For example, Marvel Studios began adding post credit scenes to their films to get fans excited for the next film and keeping the excitement levels always to the max.
In August’s action film “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” there were four post-credit scenes teasing the next installment.
Even Scorsese’s much anticipated film, “The Irishman,” coming out in November of this year has been affected.
The movie is in partnership with Netflix and in an interview with Entertainment Weekly Scorsese said that the $159 million project “was very difficult to get made the past 10 years, and for many different reasons.”
Scorsese is even using de-aging technology in his new film. This part-incredible, part scary computer graphics effect has been previously used in Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” and “Captain America: Civil War.”
Times are certainly changing in the film industry and I think generational directors like Scorsese and Coppola, who have been creating major motion pictures for nearly 60 years, may feel threatened.
It was clearly not a cakewalk for Scorsese to get his latest project funded and Coppola still hasn’t begun official production of “Megalopolis.”
Deadline reported that Coppola described “Megalopolis” as “usual” and said, “It will be a production on a grand scale with a large cast.”
Interesting, grand scale and large cast … where have I seen that before?
Nevertheless, the film industry has changed rapidly over the past 10 Avengers filled years and there’s no sign of it stopping.
The great Robert Downey Jr. put it in the best way possible while on The Howard Stern Show.
“When you come in like a stomping beast and you eliminate the competition in such a demonstrative way, it’s phenomenal,” Downey said.
So who cares if Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola think that Marvel movies aren’t cinema?
They are more entitled to their own opinions than practically anyone else in the film industry, but actions speak louder than words and money speaks even louder than that.
This never needed to become a viral story, because it is what it is and none of this means that we as Marvel fans should enjoy The Avengers any less.
We also shouldn’t have to feel like traitors for watching “Shutter Island” or “The Godfather.”
At the end of the day, the movie industry is changing and evolving, just as it has over the past 100 years, and there’s nothing you, me or Martin Scorsese can do about it.
This year’s carnival offered free beer, food and entertainment to the Florida Tech community.
Food trucks gathered in front of Crawford Green on Oct. 26., offering SMAC and El Cubanito, frozen chocolate bananas, and Meg O Malleys, a new addition to this year’s carnival.
Cat Nanney, director of student involvement, said she was pleased with the turnout of the event.
“It was the best year of homecoming we’ve ever had, even with the new beer garden for parents to join in on the fun,” said Nanney. “We decided this year to put more money toward merchandise that students can walk away with but still wanted to bring those fun carnival games.”
A homecoming shirt and a cloth bag were given out to students for free, as well as food tickets for the food trucks on the field.
Other than typical carnival games run by Residence Life, a new addition was a laser tag tent across from the beer garden.
“A lot of people showed up at this event this year,” Nanney said. “There were over 700 students that checked in, and we had to stop for a while due to the overflow of people.”
Families and parents were invited to the carnival due to Florida Tech family weekend occurring.
Alexandra Abova-Volkova, homecoming chair, said she had a good experience organizing the event, as well as the other events that occurred during the week.
“This is a larger turnout than it has been in the past years and the addition of a beer garden might have contributed to it,” said Volkova. “Although the activities at the football game were rained out, all the other events went smooth, even the talent show.”
The homecoming royalty winners were announced near the end of the carnival, as well as winners of a raffle.
Campus Activities Board and Phi Sigma Sigma won the royalty in first place, Alpha Phi and Baseball Club won second place and Delta Tau Delta and Residence Life came in third place.
Students such as Ivan Hernandez, a sophomore in computer science, won a Nintendo Switch for winning in the raffle.
“I didn’t even know how to react about it because I never win anything like that,” Hernandez said. “I had a really fun time hanging out with my fellow drumline members, and by far the best moment last night was the picture booth since we got to keep those memories.”
Even with the variety of food stations, some students like Erisa Hasanl, a Florida Tech alum, said they wanted more activities to take part in.
“It was much better last year,” said Hasanl. “There were more bouncy houses and games, but now there’s a lot of food for a lot of people. It felt like an actual carnival before.”
Hasanl also mentioned that the grass on the fields were very wet and difficult to walk across due to the rain earlier in the day.
Despite the mixed reaction, Volkova said it was a great experience for her to help run the homecoming events this year.
“Even though I’m graduating next semester and won’t be able to stay on the committee, I’m excited to see what Sam will do for next year,” Volkova said.
After being pushed back a day due to heavy rain, Halloween came early at Florida Tech and for the whole community with Treat or Treat.
With a large turnout in the hundreds, Florida Tech’s ResLife hosted the annual event on Sunday, Oct.20 with attractions ranging from haunted houses based on popular movies, bounce houses, a pumpkin patch and a costume contest.
With the previous day having a downpour of rain during the event’s time from 2:00–6:00, the last-minute decision to send out an email detailing the delay on Friday, Oct. 18 proved to be the right call.
Compared to the dour and dreary Saturday, the event itself benefitted with a sunny day and nice breeze as attendees stood in lines for the haunted houses.
Five haunted houses were set-up in the residential quads with the following themes: Enchanted Forest, Blue Genie, Men in Black Suits, Jurassic Land, and Scary Clown.
While the houses went by other names, they followed themes of popular movies such as “Aladin,” “Men in Black,” “Jurassic Park,” and Stephen King’s “It.”
“We’ve actually been working on all of this for the last two months,” said Alex Smith, a student volunteer. “With the logistics phase, designing, planning and getting the volunteers all together, it took about two months.”
Smith said that all of the RAs on campus volunteered during the event, helping out with every component of Treat or Treat.
“We were looking out for the safety of the people in the community,” Smith said when asked about the delay. “We wanted to make sure that it was nice, safe and fun for everyone by pushing it back a day.”
All of the houses were set up over the course of the week prior while the day of the event drew closer and closer.
“When it comes down to that last week of setting up, it’s all hands on deck with everyone running around,” said McKenzie Stack, residence life coordinator.
Stack said that with how much work it takes to get the event up and running, there were many last-minute trips to Walmart and decisions made to ensure the event’s success.
She also said that this was the first time Treat or Treat utilized the SUB area for the event and included food trucks, both of which worked out great in her opinion.
“It was a whole lot better than I thought it would be,” said Yajing Liu, a graduate student. “The settings were incredibly amazing. I can see the efforts and the students trying their best to present a good show.”
Liu said his favorite haunted house was the one in Evans Hall, called “Scary Clown.”
This house was based on “It” and was Liu’s favorite mainly for its scares.
The “Scary Clown” house was also the favorite for Kendall Willwerth, a freshman studying genomics and molecular genetics.
“There was actually a person standing in a yellow coat that I thought was a mannequin and when I walked by, they started following me and I was really scared,” Willwerth said. “The clowns were also very creepy.”
She said it was a lot of fun and she had a great time attending.
Despite the setback due to weather, many attended Treat or Treat and inspired Liu to celebrate in the future.
“Maybe next time I’ll try to put a costume on for the very first time and celebrate Halloween,” Liu said.