The Sophomore Owls Honor Society is teaming up with the Sophomore Eagles Honor Society this year and putting on a Haunted Trail in the trails behind the New Balance Recreation Center on Friday, Oct. 30.
The Haunted Trail is an annual event hosted by the Sophomore Owls. Sophomore Owls member, Eric LeVasseur, discussed how the Owls intend to make the event better than it has been in the past.
“The Haunted Trail is something the Sophomore Owls have been doing for quite a long time. It’s kind of like a tradition,” LeVasseur said. “Last year it wasn’t as big as they expected it to be, so this year we really wanted to get on top of it to make sure it was a really big event. That is why we have been making fliers for it, and petitioning to Student Government for a little bit more money so we can get the supplies that we need.”
When asked about the motivation behind the event, LeVasseur talked about how the Owls have been trying to increase their presence on campus to help the organization’s recruitment for next year, as well as increase their involvement in the campus community.
“We definitely want to make sure that the Sophomore Owls is a more well-known group for this year. That way we can raise our awareness for it, and get some first-year students interested as well. That way when it is time for them to apply, they know what we do,” LeVasseur said. “When I got invited to join, I didn’t know too much about it. I actually had someone who was a past Eagle, tell me about them (the Sophomore Owls). So that’s the reason why I joined.”
LeVasseur is expecting a good turnout for the Haunted Trail after all their hard work in promoting the event, as well as working with other organizations. The Sophomore Owls Honor Society has been trying to team up with other organizations around campus to try to get more students involved in the event.
“I’d like to see at least 100 students show up. I think that’s a pretty fair number,” LeVasseur said.
LeVasseur mentioned how Campus Activities and Student Engagement (CASE) will be hosting their own Halloween event by leading a “Ghost Walk” around campus. The Ghost Walk is set to drop off their tour groups at the beginning of the Haunted Trail. LeVasseur hopes that with CASE dropping off the groups at the beginning of the trail, it will help increase attendance for the event.
The Haunted Trail will be held from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 30. It will be located behind the New Balance Recreation Center and will start at the disk golf course. The event is free to all University of Maine students.