On Feb. 4, Rachel Lynch and Colin O’Connor along with the rest of Student Activities Council and Multicultural Activities Council put on an event called Escape Room. Students were locked in a room and attempted to find all the clues to solve each puzzle lock to escape. If they didn’t escape within the 45 minute time limit, they either turned into “zombies” or the “bomb” exploded.

“It was pretty stressful with a time limit of 45 minutes,” Steven Martz, junior Hospitality major said.

On the other hand, some students like the time limit.

“I work well under pressure, so being timed was actually really fun,” Paxton McCausland, junior Political Science major said.

Neon Entertainment brought two different escape room scenarios: BOOM!, which was held in Sullivan Two, and Patient Zero in Sullivan rooms One and Three. In BOOM!, a murder has been committed, and the cop that was on the stake-out had been killed. The killer also left a bomb to cover up the evidence.

Students have to solve who committed the murder and why they committed the murder all while attempting to defuse the bomb. If they type in the wrong number or shake it a little too much the explosive starts counting down even faster.

“Our group didn’t escape, but we were only one digit off from the code to disarm the bomb,” said Ele Hein, junior Hospitality major. “It was like the escape computer games that we played in high school, but in real life.”

In Patient Zero, there was a super computer named Josie that was able to make viruses to cure anything. Unfortunately, Josie turned evil and has begun infecting people with a nano-virus that heals the body quickly, but destroys every part of our brain the makes us human.

The virus was essentially turning them into zombies. As soon as the students entered the room, they became infected with the virus. Students have to find all the clues to reprogram the computer or they turn into full fledged zombies.

Each room had a total of 10 students participating at the same time. Even with this large a number, students were still given a chance to shine.

“My favorite part was the thrill and feeling of accomplishment when I helped crack a part of the puzzle,” Hein said.

Freshman Sky Sklyarov, was a little angry after failing to complete the Patient Zero room because his team came very close to programming the computer.

Neon Entertainment is an entertainment booking agency for colleges, corporate events and special events across the country. They are based out of Buffalo, N.Y., and offer other activities like comedians, game shows and inflatables.

You probably haven’t heard of the company’s name, but you may have heard of Keith Karkut who comes in every year for Hypnotic Intoxication, and he is a part of this company.

In October, SAC/MAC members went to a conference called NACA. NACA, which stands for National Association for Campus Activities, provides knowledge, ideas and resources for campus life.

While there, they were able to run the simulation for the Escape Room before bringing the program to Mercyhurst.

“I had a lot more fun than I was expecting to have,” said Katie Kruszynski, junior Chemistry major. “(I was) really mad we didn’t get that last clue.”

Overall, the event seemed to be a great success and something everyone can enjoy. Some students, including Hein plan to attend another Escape Room here in Erie in the future.

“The escape room was a lot of fun,” said Martz. “It was pretty difficult and something very different from what SAC has put on before.”