On Friday, Oct. 28, there was a campus trick-or-treat and a costume contest for the Mercyhurst community. The Staff Senate Social and Recognition Committee invited offices and departments across campus to participate in a student trick-or-treating event. Trick or treating took place all day between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The event was put on to provide treats for students to enjoy, and as a fun and easy social activity that the whole campus could be involved. Nearly every building on campus participated to host bowls of treats for students, who visited and showed off their costumes in celebration of Halloween. Assistant Director of Admissions Colleen Hordych, helped organize offices for the event. “There was a time before COVID when the campus provided trick-or-treat stops for local families to stop in and show off their kids’ costumes,” Hordych said. “The committee wanted to continue the trick-or-treating spirit and recognize students with this fun event.” College students often do not get the chance to partake in Halloween festivities which makes this opportunity all the more appealing. Trick-or-treating is a great way to spend time with friends and presents a rare opportunity during the year to dress up in a costume and take part in a contest. “The Marketing Office was excited to host the Hurst Costume Contest for the second year. We planned it in coordination with Staff Senate’s Trick-or-Treat on hoping to provide an easy and fun way to get Mercyhurst in the Halloween spirit,” Marketing Coordinator Kristian Biega said. The Marketing Office sponsored the costume contest with a $25 Cornerstone gift card prize. Students and employees were encouraged to post their individual or group costume entries using the hashtag “SeizeTheS-care.” “We didn’t get a lot of student submissions, but it was awesome to see a lot of employee participation,” Biega said. “It was fun to dress up with my fellow Marketing Office colleagues too—we were all different holidays and I think we nailed it.”Beyond the Gates program director Bethany Woods mentioned the excitement the committee has for students to participate in the Halloween fun. “We were excited for faculty, staff and students to interact enjoy camaraderie centered around trick-or-treating. It’s also a way for students to visit areas of campus they may have never seen, which is always a benefit,” said Woods. The Campus Involvement Center dressed as Super Mario characters (Princess Peach, Toad, Waluigi, and Bower) for their group costume, and were crowned winners of the contest on Monday.“We chose the Campus Involvement Center as the costume content winner because of their commitment and execution. They all looked awesome and put real effort into pulling off the look,” Biega said. Friday’s treats did not end there as there was also a Halloween- themed lunch at the 501 Grille and a “hair-raising” dinner at the Grotto Commons that kicked off the weekend. Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) planned many more Halloween activities for the weekend. MAC/SAC hosted events for Halloween Weekend on both Friday and Saturday night. Friday night was a trip to Port Farms, which was a great place to go on hay rides, through pumpkin patches, corn mazes and experience many fall activities. Saturday night from 6 p.m. to midnight, MAC/SAC put on its own Haunted House called the “Haunted Hurst.” Students, faculty and staff had the opportunity to go on a spooky tour starting in the PAC Lobby and ending in the Student Union Great Room where there was pumpkin painting, Halloween themed food, and tarot card readings. More people attended Haunt-ed Hurst than last year, so it was a good year for scaring people.MSG not only encouraged participation in the events, but also encouraged students to travel safely over the weekend. From Friday to Tuesday the Student Government sponsored $8 MUber rides for students who signed up for an Uber account using their Mercyhurst credentials. Overall, Halloweekend was a success on campus due to the number of events that were offered to students.