Celebrate spooky season with a few UTEP alumni… dead alumni. BUWAH HAHAHAHAHA! The Student Alumni Association (SAA) is hosting its 14th annual haunted campus tour. Come hear all about the spooky stories that encompass UTEP’s history. Don’t miss out on one of UTEP’s most anticipated events of the year.
UTEP’s SAA promotes UTEP Miner pride throughout the community, on or off-campus. They bridge the gap between current students and alumni and help facilitate networking between each other. Anyone can join the group; the only requirement is being a student. The group hosts many different events throughout the school year, one of them being the haunted campus tour.
“The haunted campus tour is basically like a haunted house but here at UTEP. We talk about real ghost experiences and supernatural occurrences that UTEP students and faculty have had on campus. We also offer fun spooky activities for people of all ages,” said Xitllali Aguirre, a sophomore majoring in digital media production and event coordinator for the SAA.
This year’s theme is the “Mystery at Miner Manor,” the tour is being held from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, before Halloween, and is open to everyone in the community
Tickets for the event are on sale right now for $6 and will be $10 the day of the event. The tour begins in Centennial Plaza and will be going on throughout the night. While waiting for your tour, enjoy the Halloween activities in the plaza and the tables of other UTEP organizations.
“It’s not only SAA who does haunted campus, but also other UTEP organizations to either table or to volunteer. Organizations can still let the SAA know if they want to sponsor a table,” said Robyn Jordan, an SAA event coordinator and a sophomore majoring in communications.
On the tour, participants will learn the history of the UTEP campus and the backstory of some of the oldest buildings, such as Cotton Memorial and Old Main. Guests on the tour will also learn about supernatural occurrences that have happened at each building. Stories date back to the early years of the campus up to as recently as 2018.
One of these stories takes place in a dormitory row, consisting of the old dormitory building which has been converted into classrooms and offices. The tale recounts one fateful night when a student who wasn’t very popular was dared to jump from one building to the next. The student wanted to be accepted by his peers, so he took the leap of faith — literally. But sadly, he did not make it and fell to his death. You can still hear his last screams to this day.
“I’m excited to get people scared and for them to learn about the history of some of the buildings, as well as understanding that there are other alumni who have stayed with us even after the grave,” said Aguirre.
To buy tickets for the tour or to sign up to volunteer, visit www.alumni.utep.edu/saa . In case you miss the tour, you can listen to the UTEP SAA’S 13TH ANNUAL HAUNTED CAMPUS podcast on YouTube.
Alyson Rodriguez may be reached at [email protected]; @alyson_rod1127 on Twitter.
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