By Meredith Howard | Staff Writer, Video by Grace Smith | Broadcast Reporter
Baylor’s 2019 Treat Night featured themed residence halls where children and grandchildren of Baylor faculty and staff had the opportunity to show off their costumes and collect candy.
A variety of residence halls participated in the popular campus tradition. Both hallways of North Russell Residence Hall’s second floor, for example, were decorated for the children to enjoy— the female side was themed “Under the Sea” and the male side was themed “Safari Adventure.”
Alumni at the event appreciated the opportunity for their kids to have a safe place to trick-or-treat.
“I started coming out last year with my friend who is faculty, and it’s so much fun. The kids love it and look forward to it. They were even asking, ‘When is that Baylor event?”” Rachael Fineske, a Baylor grad and parent, said. “This is where I went to school, so it’s always nice to come home and visit my dorm and just be back at Baylor.”
One aspect faculty members enjoyed was the opportunity to take their children trick-or-treating in a controlled environment.
“I’m really excited to be here. I think it’s such a great community effort to have something so family-oriented for faculty and staff to bring our friends to a safe environment, and have a lot of different decorations and even special accommodations for kids with allergies. I just think it’s such a sweet thing that the Baylor students are doing,” Kristen Padilla-Mainor, a clinical assistant professor at Baylor, said.
Attendees also liked that Treat Night helped prevent a common Halloween issue—buying an expensive costume that your child will only get to use once.
“Really to get a good use of costumes this year, we’re trying to attend as many community events to get the kids out and interacting with others and have some fun during the Halloween season,” Padilla-Mainor said.
Volunteer students who passed out candy also said that they enjoyed interacting with families and celebrating the Halloween season.
“My favorite part would have to be being able to be around the kids. It’s so great to be a part of a community that gets to really influence even younger people from the beginning. It’s great to get to see all the things that they dressed up as, especially Baylor bears,” San Antonio freshman Gabriela Cruz-Mattos said.
Faculty and staff were required to show a Baylor ID for entry, and they were asked to bring one canned good or a $1 donation for each child they brought. These donations were allocated to Caritas, “a local non-profit charity organization that provides food, clothing, household items and travel to those in need.”
More information about this year’s Treat Night can be found on the Baylor website.
