On a perfect October night, the crunching of leaves could be heard with a combination of spooky music as students of the Institute gathered to approach a haunted mansion just outside of Tech Square. The haunted mansion was really the Academy of Medicine, but with the bushes leading up to the building covered in cobwebs and large spiders, it was indistinguishable. The ambient green and orange lighting covering the building drew a crowd, beckoning guests to come closer and explore the haunted Academy of Medicine for Twilight at Tech Manor on Oct. 29.
A cloudy, moonless sky provided the perfect backdrop for the event, adding to the chilling ambiance as students made their way to Twilight at Tech Manor, an annual Halloween event planned by the Student Center Programs Council (SCPC). The event was spearheaded by Aaila Khan, fourth-year NEURO and the chair of SCPC’s Ramblin’s Nights committee.
Donning costumes from spooky vampires and phantoms to more lighthearted, fair-like superheroes and princesses, students entered the Academy of Medicine excited for a night of thrilling scares and haunting Halloween-themed activities.
The center of the event was the Haunted Maze, a haunted house designed and occupied by SCPC members hoping to provide chills and thrilling scares to anyone who dared to enter the gate and walk down the stairs to enter.
“The Haunted Maze is my favorite because a lot of planning goes into it. To see what actually scares people [and] what effects we can do without professional help,” Khan said. “Having volunteers dress up and scare is cool because we do the makeup and costumes, and we wanted it to fit the whole haunted mansion theme.”
The Haunted Maze is an annual part of the SCPC’s Halloween event, but this year, Khan faced a bit of trouble in including the tradition in Twilight at Tech Manor.
“The biggest challenge I faced planning the event was the construction. Everyone has seen the construction all around campus which is here too. The construction changed the way we could direct students in the haunted maze, so we had the plan around that,” Khan said.
Luckily for attendees, Khan and the members of SCPC were able to pull off the Haunted Maze despite the overwhelming construction. One such attendee who went through the haunted maze and survived to tell the tale is Teja Ramkumar Babu, third-year CS.
“It was very cute. It was light outside when I went, so I think it might have been scarier if it was dark, but it was fun, and it did not have too many jump scares. It had good effort put into it,” Babu said.
Twilight at Tech Manor featured much more than the haunted maze. Just next to it was a murder mystery activity for students to participate in. For those less into the tricks of Halloween and more into the treats, there were plenty of less chilling and thrilling activities for students to participate in.
The main auditorium of the Academy of Medicine was dedicated to a combination of TV showing and Halloween trivia, including questions like “What iconic clothing item did Micheal Jackson wear in the thriller music video?” and “What does Cady dress up as for Halloween in the movie Mean Girls?”
Arguably, the most popular activity of the night was the Tarot reading, with a line wrapped around the room full of students anxiously waiting to get an insight into their future.
“The tarot reading was very accurate and taught me a lot about myself in two minutes. I’ll get a lot from that short interaction,” Babu said.
Along with Tarot readings, aura readings were offered to those interested in the mystical side of Halloween. Students were also able to complete some arts and crafts, including pumpkin painting and phone charms giving students the opportunity to take souvenirs home from the event.
SCPC does much more for students than planning fun events; it also brings students together and provides a space for them to grow and develop at the Institute.
“I joined a year after transferring and I did not have a solid friend group. Some people I knew suggested I join SCPC, and it has been amazing,” Khan said. “I have made friends, but it really is a family. It’s great to be involved in something non-academic and to do good work in volunteering.”
For students like Khan and Babu, SCPC provides a space to connect with others and get involved on campus. For students similar to Khan and Babu, there are plenty of ways to get more involved with SCPC through their upcoming events. One of SCPC’s largest endeavors, Homecoming, is next week, and events such as the Mini 500 and Homecoming Carnival will be brought to campus by the organization. Students should be on the lookout for more information on Instagram @gthomecoming for updates.