As the leaves change color and the nights grow longer, the annual Halloween open houses approach to haunt Taylor University’s campus.
The men of Foundation and the Brotherhood (BroHo), the nicknames for the first and third floors of Samuel Morris Hall, have a unique approach to their open houses. They completely transform their floors into an immersive haunted house experience.
This year, Foundation plans to continue their Halloween open house tradition by plunging guests into a haunted forest.
Will Norris, a PA on Foundation, expressed excitement about the sound design for this year’s open house. He is also interested to see how many guests will attend this year.
“Last year we broke our attendance record,” Norris said. “I think we’re going to break it again, which would be awesome.”
Foundation’s Halloween open house is one of the biggest events the floor puts on all year, thus it takes many people to help things run smoothly.
One of Norris’ favorite parts about this year is seeing the passion and excitement from his peers on Foundation. Preparing and executing the open house brings members of the floor together as they work toward creating something truly special.
“It’s a fun time,” Norris said. “There are especially some guys that don’t really come to a lot of floor events and guys that are always busy, but this is their thing.”
Norris and other Foundation residents have experienced issues with time management in the past, making setup a stressful endeavor. This year, they have already started their planning process.
Event organizers are delegating roles, assigning tasks and ensuring the participants are contributing sufficiently. They want to make this their most ambitious open house yet, hoping to efficiently host at least 500 guests throughout the night.
The men on Foundation are not the only ones preparing for their open house. Residents of BroHo are beginning the planning process of their own night of thrills and chills.
While they have yet to decide on a concrete theme, the men of BroHo have several exciting concepts that will be filtered through at a floor meeting.
Like Foundation, BroHo is well-known for their Halloween open house. However, they like to inject unique doses of comedy into their event.
“That is what’s so special about it, the mix of humor and horror,” Elijah Chatwell, a BroHo PA, said.
Although their open house ran smoothly last year, participants on the floor are dedicated to constantly seeking out ways to improve the experience.
A crucial aspect of running an efficient operation is the registration process. Last year, the hosts used a digital registration system to move people through the open house. This year, several people are already thinking of ways to improve it.
“Our guys have been updating it so that there’s more automation involved and less manual sign-ins,” Chatwell said.
A highlight for the upperclassmen of BroHo is seeing how those new to the floor contribute to the planning and ideation processes.
Corbin Raines, another PA on BroHo, is excited to see how each participant brings their own unique talents to their roles.
“It’s cool to see how guys with certain personalities or strengths find that energy,” Raines said.
Much like Foundation, the Halloween open house is one of the most impactful events that BroHo puts on for the student body.
It is also one of the rare events that unites the entire floor, bringing people from many different friend groups together. They contribute a lot of time and effort to deliver a memorable experience to their guests.
“It’s honestly one of the few times I think our floor collectively works very hard at something very consistently,” Raines said. “Last year, I was very impressed with how much everyone pitched in.”
Both open houses will take place on Halloween night this year. Foundation will host theirs in the basement of Samuel Morris Hall while BroHo will host theirs on the third floor.
The men of Foundation and BroHo hope to provide guests with a night of fun, frights and lifelong memories. They want students to enjoy the spooky experience and company of friends as they visit their floors.
“It’s so much more than an open house,” Chatwell and Raines said.
