The haunted house is a Halloween tradition at Winona State University (WSU) dating back to the early twentieth century. Many who enjoy thrills, chills and terrors take a trip to their local haunted house each Halloween season. The price of admission is only rising, and the Winona area isn’t known for being a destination for horror enthusiasts. College students in town seeking this classic, spooky experience don’t have a lot of options, but fret not, as Winona State University is home to the Haunted Hallway which has been held annually since 2021.
“Halloween programming has been a staple of our residence hall programming for as long as I can remember,” Sarah Olcott, Director of Housing and Residential Life, said. “I have had many residents tell me that the haunted [hallway] was better than many that they have paid for.”
Students who dared step inside were greeted by everything spooky from cobwebs to cleavers. Students had an opportunity to embrace the Halloween spirit and participate in the event by volunteering to be scare actors.
This year, the Haunted Hallway took over the first floor of Morey Hall, as it is not currently housing students. Not only were students treated to a tour of the Haunted Hallway, but also a look into the haunted bathroom.
This self-guided tour is full of frights, shivers and jump scares. Many students expressed how much they enjoyed it upon exiting the hallway, including Natalie Chouinard.
“[The Haunted Hallway] was great,” Chouinard said, and she gave it a “solid ten out of ten.”
Hayden Benson, also a student at WSU, said, “It was fun. I want to do it again.”
WSU has always provided a very fun atmosphere for Halloween enjoyers, as there have been haunted houses, trick or treating in the halls, ghost story nights and floor decorating contents.
Residential Life has been integral to this and works hard to always have fun events in the works and ensure that there’s always something to look forward to on campus. The RHA and NRHH will be teaming up this November for their next big event, an annual Light up My Life fundraiser for Toys for Kids.
Students who are interested in becoming involved in Residential Life are encouraged to consider applying to be RA’s. The RA application opens on the housing portal on January 29, 2024.
“If that is too much of a commitment, start by going to your hall council meetings on Monday nights to see how you can get involved,” Olcott said.
