RSA frightens in the Quad

Zombies danced, students screamed in a haunted house and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles walked… Zombies danced, students screamed in a haunted house and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles walked around the dark, cobweb-covered Schenley Quadrangle as part of Pitt’s annual Nightmare in the Quad.

Nightmare in the Quad, presented by the Schenley Quad Resident Student Association, has been a Pitt tradition for nearly 10 years. Events included the “Thriller” dance, tarot card readings and games.

“It’s cool that since we go to school in Pittsburgh, where there’s much to do, the school offers things to do like this,” said Emma Davis, elbow deep in seeds at the pumpkin-carving table.

Various student organizations sponsored many of the booths. The Rainbow Alliance sponsored the cup race, where two students competed to knock over a stack of cups. The Lambda Sigma Sophomore Honor Society offered students a chance to guess how much candy was in a jar. One guess cost a quarter, and the money went to Second Chance, an organization that takes children out of abusive homes and places them with members of their extended family, rather than in foster homes.

“This event draws participation from nearly everyone on campus,” said Alia Pustorino, resident director for the Quad.

Representatives from the Blue and Gold Society handed out candy, while letting people know that the student-alumni relations’ organization is all about.

“It’s pretty neat,” Amanda Rider of the Blue and Gold Society said. “It brings a lot of students out. It’s lots of fun.”

At the height of the evening, hundreds of students, many costumed, piled into the Quad and rocked out to live disc jockey music. Students also got caricature portraits and posed for pictures in front of a scarecrow.

Brett Allen enjoyed the evening, although he isn’t much of a Halloween fan.

“I usually don’t celebrate Halloween,” he said. “You shouldn’t take participation in it because it’s the devil’s birthday.”

He softened up a bit when he saw the “Thriller” dance, though.

“This is nice so far,” he said. “They got the music on and I see zombies walking around.”

Haunted Holland was the most popular event. The line to get in stretched from the security card station to halfway around the building.

Once inside, students descended into the basement and wandered through the area with the help of an undead Pitt Pathfinder. Students chatted nervously while they walked through halls that were sometimes pitch black, ad sometimes flooded with flashing lights. Some issued screams when one of the “ghosts” slammed a door or kicked a metal garbage can down the hall.

Back in the safety of Forbes Avenue, Natalie Lilavois praised the haunted house.

“I walked right into a cobweb,” she said. “The bubble paper on the floor was really cool. It was awesome.”

Every year, Holland Hall RSA puts on the haunted house in conjunction with Nightmare in the Quad and chooses a local charity as a recipient of the proceeds. This year, the dollar or canned good went to Up ‘Til Dawn, a student group that raises money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research hospital in Memphis, Tenn. This was the 24th anniversary for Haunted Holland.

Another big hit was the “Thriller” dance. Students dressed like zombies and lay around the Quad until the Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” came on the stereo. The dancers slowly made their way to the center of the Quad and broke out in a near-perfect rendition of the dance from Jackson’s “Thriller” video.

Dancer Laura Hepler said she was pleased with how the dance turned out.

“I think it turned out really well,” she said. “Everyone put a lot of time and effort into their segment of the dance.”

The overall impression of Nightmare in the Quad was favorable among both the organizers and the participants.

“I think we’ve had an excellent turnout,” Pusturino said.

“As a freshman I think it’s cool that they have stuff like this that anyone can go to,” Megan McCollum said.