As the leaves begin to fall and the nights get colder, students all prepare for the spookiest time of the year: Halloween. Each year Hamline goes through the tradition of preparing for Halloween. Usually this process includes a well written letter from our Dean of Students, highlighting ways to have a respectful and responsible Halloween, a change in decorated cookies in Anderson, and various decorations appearing on campus. This year the award for spookiest decor goes to Peterson 4th floor.

The decor starts at the junction of 3rd floor and 4th floor steps within the stairwell, as the railing is wrapped in caution tape, and cobwebs are spread onto the brick walls. The creepy kitsch continues as you enter the floor, with cobwebs spread over the ceilings and across the walls, small paper bats, ghosts, and pumpkins adorning window frames and doors, and a sign that reads: “BEWARE! Enter at your own risk!”

When residents walk through the hallway they have to duck to avoid the cobwebs and you feel like something might pop out at you, despite the stale dorm lighting. Two dorms doors truly stand out among the rest, for the most spooky of entrances. Firstly, a door sporting a cinema style sign that reads: “Spooky Girls,” with a stuffed pumpkin just below it and other such pumpkin paraphernalia.

Secondly, a door that is framed by the previously mentioned “BEWARE” sign and a string of little yarn ghosts. In addition to the sign, the door is covered by strips of bloody bandage, as if a mummy walked through the entrance. Ironically enough, the door has three round stickers parading drawings of a mummy, a clown, and Jack the Pumpkin King (from Nightmare Before Christmas) to represent the residents of the room.

Overall, the 4th floor of Peterson has earned a round of applause for their spook-tacular display of Halloween spirit. Their floor is decked out in decor for the season, and as you walk through you cannot help but sing: Thi