One of my most beloved autumnal traditions is re-reading the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book series. For those who aren’t aware, this is a children’s book series containing urban legends, folklore, songs, and ghost stories. The trilogy of books are perhaps best known for the macabre hand drawn illustrations that accompany the stories that served as nightmare fuel to legions of kids in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. I think their cultural cache has unfortunately diminished in the modern era, but for those of us who swapped these stories on playgrounds and held onto these books way past their library due dates, they’ll forever live in our minds.
As an adult reading these stories, there’s a heavy sense of nostalgia and timelessness these books ooze that continue to draw me in. What I’ve further grown an appreciation for in my adult years is the last section of each book. In these latter sections, the author, Alvin Schwartz, goes into the detailed history for each story. He talks about the cultural origins, how the story has shifted over the years, the thematic undertones the story is getting at. It serves as a reminder that stories are often told to teach lessons and to comment on the times, and that we can learn a lot from these ghost stories and urban legends.
I’ve been using this idea the last few years in my professional work in higher education. Since I was a college student, every school I have been at has had at least one ghost story that has been passed down from year to year. I’ve heard tales of haunted ballrooms, office suites, lounges, and yes, even haunted residence halls. These hauntings include odd sounds being heard, doors opening and closing on their own, and some people even seeing full fledged ghosts. I get a gleeful kick every year seeing the student newspapers and university social media accounts regaling these ghostly tales.
At a glance, it can be easy to chuckle at these urban legends and not put too much stock into them. However, I think there we can use these stories as part of our practices. There is a power these stories hold. They can help us understand our universities’ histories and their cultures, something our students don’t often take the time to understand or look into. These stories can help our students feel connected to their college and identify with something unique about their institution that is purely their own. Tradition, stories, and the passing of tales are unifying factors that connect students from generation to generation – a permeating thread in an environment that is always evolving and shaping.
Teaching these stories to our students allows us to dive into our histories from a unique angle. For example, at one of my past institutions, the hall I lived in, which was once a residential mansion, was alleged to be haunted. A woman died in the building under mysterious causes, and the running rumor is that she was killed by her husband, a famous local pharmacy store owner. By unraveling this story, you can learn about the building’s history, a cherished icon for the institution, and about the store owner, who was a prominent figure in the institution’s history. The death was a big deal at the time and left a mark on the area. The supposed haunting is one of the hallmarks of the building, and is a quirky and unique part of the college’s fabric.
There are many ways you can bring ghost stories into your work this Halloween season. First and foremost – collect a list of stories at your institution! They are so easy to find with a quick search, and I am sure you have at the very least one ghost story tied to your school. When you are at a staff meeting, you can tell the stories to your RAs as part of a fun Halloween activity, or even as an educational session. Or, maybe you can host a program for the building where you tell these stories. It’s even better if one of the stories takes place in your hall!
As you tell these stories, consider asking the following and having these discussions with your students:
- Why does that particular story resonate with the school?
- Why does it continue to be passed on, withstanding the test of time?
- Can we find when this story started? Is it tied to a particular event in the university’s history?
- Who is involved in the story and what is the story trying to say?
Alternatively, maybe you can find an academic collaborator who can speak to these stories and really unravel the history. I haven’t done this yet, but someday at my current institution, I would love to do a guided ghost tour of our campus with a professor who is versed in folklore.
As an RD, one of the halls I supervised is supposedly haunted (I must admit, I do believe there is something paranormal going on there). My staff seemed to think so, too. Somehow along the way, we named the ghost Trevor, and Trevor became an unofficial mascot for the building, and a key part of our team. It was part of our team commanderie, and furthered our connection with the building, and its ubiquity. Beyond the education, there’s a lot of just pure fun that can come from ghost stories.
If you need some inspiration, or if you even just want to scare yourself a little bit, I’ve found a number of other schools that house ghostly spirits. Here are some of my favorite ghost stories from different colleges and universities that I’ve found over the years:
- Penn State University is said to have the ghost of a mule haunting its campus.
- The University of Pittsburgh allegedly has a ghost that will wake any students up if they fall asleep and risk missing anything important.
- At Gettysburg College, students have reported seeing a ghostly, blue face of a young boy looking into their windows – creepy!
So as the nights darken earlier and earlier each day, and whispers of ghosts overtake campus, make sure to perk your ears up and open your eyes. If you hear a strange sound, or see something out of the corner of your eye, just beware if you go looking for what it is…Boo!
Happy Halloween!
