By: Dana Bitto
October 31, 2012
At Dominican, the thrills and chills of Halloween are in the air along with the stories of ghosts and hauntings from the past.
A favorite to so many on campuses: ghost stories. They are the plot in many movies and books; they give us the fear and curiosity we look for when we are walking through the beautiful, yet spooky dining hall or studying late at night in the chapel.
Through the years, many “ghost stories” and tall tales have been passed down from students and staff alike. Two of the more familiar tales include the social hall and the third floor of Power.
According to the tale, the busts above the three archways in the social hall were sanded down because of students’ complaints of “being followed” by piercing, glowing eyes.
The myth about the third floor of Power, however, is a bit grim.
Although the sisters of the university say that the room was a flaw in the building’s architecture, students are hooked on the belief that years ago an unnamed Sister hung herself in the room.
Noises are reportedly often heard from the cemented room.
However, Sister Jeanne Crapo insists that, “both tales can be easily explained. Not very ghostly.” In a previous interview for “Chicago’s Own: Supernatural Occurrence Studies”, Director of Resident Life, Robert Babcock added, “I’m not even sure there was a room there. The third and fourth floors of Power are nearly identical when it comes to hall layout, and that room doesn’t exist on the fourth floor.”
Other members of the university find humor in the tales.
When interviewed, Sister Janet Welsh said, “I Am afraid I don’t know any new ghost stories-if you’d like, I’d make one up!”
A less common tale comes from alumni Mark Carbonara.
According to Carbonara, there is a little girl with red shoes that walks around Coughlin at night and usually is seen in the bathrooms. There will be times when you are in a stall and all of a sudden you see little dangling legs in the stall next to you with red sparkly shoes. Also, there were numerous guys who would be taking a shower and hear the toilet flush even though they were alone in the bathroom or vice versa, they would be using the bathroom and hear the shower turn on, but they would be alone.
Though truth to the tales can’t be confirmed, there are indeed many that follow through the years. So how will you spend your Halloween?
Eating candy and dressing up, or looking for the little girl with sparkly shoes?