Fordham University’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted several events to celebrate Halloween from Wednesday, Oct. 23, to Thursday, Oct. 31. Of the events thus far, there were two that were the most popular: the Pumpkin Patch Carving Contest and the Golf Cart Ghost Tour.
The Pumpkin Patch Carving Contest was held on Oct. 23 from 3-6 p.m. on Martyrs’ Lawn. This event included a pumpkin patch for students to get pumpkins to decorate their dorms as well as a carving contest. The carving contest had prizes that included a $200 AMC gift card for first place, a $200 Party City gift card for second place and a Chipotle costume for third place. Entries to the contest were due on Oct. 27, and the requirements were to get a pumpkin, follow @fordhamcab on Instagram and post a picture of the carved pumpkin on their Instagram story.
While the event included the carving contest, Nadia Garriga, FCRH ’27, was among many students who attended the event to get a pumpkin, but did not participate in the contest. “I thought it was a great fall activity for students, especially during the midterms season when everyone is stressed,” she said. Compared to other CAB events she has attended, Garriga said that the Pumpkin Patch Carving Contest was less organized. “I don’t think they were anticipating as many people to show up as they did,” she said.
The Golf Cart Ghost Tour event was held on Oct. 25 from 7-9 p.m., with rides starting at the CAB table in front of the McShane Campus Center. The CAB table was decorated for Halloween with a witch’s cauldron full of candy for participants to take. The tour took students from the McShane Center to Alumni Court South, Martyrs’ Court and Campbell, Salice and Conley Halls. From there, the cart turned back towards Edward’s Parade, driving past Walsh Library, Duane Library and Dealy Hall to finish in front of the bronze ram statue.
The first campus ghost story, told while driving past Loyola Hall, regarded an alleged ghost inhabiting O’Hare Hall. According to the tale, a construction worker had a heart attack while working on the O’Hare roof and fell to his death. Apparently, students who live in O’Hare have reported hearing construction sounds through the walls, while no construction is currently taking place.
The second story was told while driving past Martyrs’ Court, and involves the first-year dorm directly. Supposedly, a Fordham student was in the Martyrs’ showers and heard crying from one of the shower stalls. When she went to investigate, she found an open curtain with a girl sitting on the ground inside the stall. The student asked her repeatedly what was wrong, with no answer. One of the student’s friends walked in and the student asked for her help, only to find the girl gone when they went back over to the stall. Apparently, the most frequently reported supernatural event on the campus is student reports of hearing other showers turn on when they think they are the only students in the bathroom.
The third ghost tale involves a supposed ghost haunting Duane Library. According to the Oct. 21, 1976 issue of the Ram, there have been “strange happenings” with a priest by the name of John Shea. One particular student had several encounters with Shea, including one where the ghost introduced himself as Shea and shared he worked in the Economics department. However, when this student asked the departmental secretary about Shea the very next day, the secretary told the student that Sheahad died two or three years prior. While telling this story, the cart drove past the library, with some CAB members even jumping out of the bushes to scare the students as part of the experience.
The fourth ghost story was about Finlay Hall and was told while driving past the Starbucks in Dealy Hall. This story is about the medical school, once housed in the now upperclassmen dorm building. According to reports, students living in the lofted rooms have woken up to look up at the loft and seen several people in lab coats staring down at them. Students who reside in the basement have also reported the feeling of their toes being tugged, as this space used to be a morgue.
The fifth legend isn’t a ghost story, but a theory of a potential tunnel network under Edward’s Parade. As told on the tour, it is likely that these tunnels existed to allow an emergency exit route for the Jesuits in case they needed to escape to safe locations. Proof of these tunnels is cited from the indentations left behind on Edward’s Parade after a snowfall, where the tunnels are said to exist.
The tour ended in front of the ram statue, and the CAB drivers shared one final potential haunting in Keating Hall. There have been multiple reports, some of cold spots or the feeling of being watched, and even several instances of witnessing a chair tumbling down the stairs without anyone around.
This event was Mary Lien-Gonzalez’s, FCRH ’27, first time attending an event held by CAB. “I thought the event was very well planned out and well-executed, and made for great student involvement,” she said. “This one was a lot of fun and now I’d be willing to explore the other events.”
