Dodge, Patterson halls open doors for area trick-or-treaters

By Dan Robinson
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Trick-or-treaters looking to increase their candy stash are planning to invade dorms on the Norwich University campus. And the students living there couldn't be happier about it.

Decorating for the Halloween event and participating in the candy give-away helps fulfill part of a volunteer activity commitment students are required to do each year.

There are nine dorms on campus, but the area children will only be allowed to visit two civilian dorms.

"The Resident Advisors (RAs) have a chain of command like the corps," according to Ara Banks, the director of residential life at Norwich. "There is one RA per floor, and they have to report to an Assistant Resident Coordinators, who then report to a Residence Coordinator, who are in charge of the entire dormitory."

Every semester, civilian students have certain responsibilities, and one of them must be some kind of volunteer activity, according to Banks.

"The kids go to each floor, and the students give candy to the children that knock on their doors," said Keegan Ziemba, 19, a sophomore biology and biological technology major from Manchester, NH.

"The students that participate in the trick-or-treating are checked out beforehand, so as to provide a safe environment for the children," Ziemba said. "The students that hand out the candy have pumpkins on their doors, as to indicate to the kids that those are the doors they can get candy from."

Ziemba said that it is a volunteer event for Patterson and Dodge halls. "It is a great way to give the community's children a safe atmosphere to do their treating at."

"I think there is a respectable turnout for the event," Banks said. "I think that there are a lot of professors who take advantage of the safe environment."

The event was started by one of Banks' co-workers and has progressed along the years. The real purpose behind the creation is to let the children have fun, Banks said.

"The civilians work on the Haunted Hay Ride alongside the corps," Banks said. "As far as the trick-or-treating in the halls, I don't think it belongs to just one group; whomever wants to do it just has to advertise that they are doing so."

But according to John, a member of the corps of cadets who requested anonymity, one reason the corps doesn't get involved in the activity is because he sees the cadets fulfilling other commitments to the community.

"On the days that we have off from classes, we are out marching through the town," John said. "Also, the corps just has a lot to do all the time; it would just be another thing that we would have to do."

John pointed out that the corps does a lot of volunteer work; it's just not that we really don't have a choice in the matter,"

But for the civilian students who participate in the Halloween activity, the focus is on safety for children.

"I think it's a great idea for the kids to have a safe place to have a fun time," said Randy Kluj, 21, a senior criminal justice major form Orneville ME. "I think that the corps should do [it], because it's a nice thing to do to give back to the community."

Joe Doran, a 20-year-old junior business management major from Braintree, Mass., agreed.

"I feel it's a wonderful idea, because Northfield is such a small community that the children do not have a lot of houses to go to," Doran said.

But Banks said the invitation is always there for the corps to join the civilians in the tradition.

"As to why the corps has never gotten into it, I really do not have an answer, to be totally honest," Banks said. "I see no reason why the corps, if they wanted to, couldn't join our group and get in on our advertising."

Banks said this would be an ideal opportunity for the civilians and the corps to get together for a joint venture.

"Personally, I would like to see more of us doing things together, because it is my philosophy is that we are all Norwich students," Banks said.

Back to Guidon index