By Olivia Eiken | Staff Writer, Gierra Cottingham | LTVN Reporter
It’s officially spooky season on Baylor’s campus, and the men of Phi Gamma Delta are hosting their annual Fright Night philanthropy event.
This year, Fright Night will be held from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Friday on Fountain Mall, and the event is free to all.
The haunted house portion has many different themes which include an asylum, a butcher’s room and a haunted hotel. Enduring the fake blood in the Fright Night haunted house supports getting real blood to hospitals in need across the country. All donations and revenue earned from T-shirt sales support the American Red Cross.
Huntingtown, Md., junior Hunter Kasulke serves as co-head of the Fright Night committee. Kasulke looks forward to the haunted house and campus-wide event each year because it brings the community together for fun while also supporting a good cause.
“It’s just a great community event for students, alumni and faculty to come together on Fountain Mall and get excited for the Halloween season,” Kasulke said. “There will be food trucks like Churro Time and Waco Cha, as well as lawn games, photo booths and a banner competition between organizations at Baylor. The winner gets $500 toward their philanthropy of choice.”
San Ramon, Calif. junior Ben Campbell serves as T-shirt Chair for the Fright Night committee. While organizing the event with the other chairmen was fun, Campbell said nothing compares to the memories he’s made in years past working Fright Night itself.
“My favorite part has been working in the rooms and scaring the guests,” Campbell said. “It’s a fun experience, especially when done with my friends.”
FIJI has hosted Fright Night on campus since 1996, bringing more and more scares each year.
“Fright Night this year is going to be the biggest one we have hosted in recent years, so the Baylor community can expect an overall bigger and better experience,” Campbell said.
Aside from the event being bigger and more elaborate, Kasulke is especially excited for the haunted house this year because of the consistent overall theme seen throughout the entire event and on the T-shirts.
“This year’s theme is loosely based off the popular shows ‘Bates Motel’ and ‘American Horror Story: Hotel,’” Kasulke said. “This year, you may notice that you suddenly step into a hotel while walking through the house. But, like the Eagles say in ‘Hotel California:’ ‘You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.’”
