How UT’s Spooky Season Events Help Students Feel at Home on Campus

By Triniti Ybarra-Burnias

Reporting Texas

As spooky season takes over Austin, UT organizations like Campus Events and Entertainment and University Housing and Dining are finding creative ways to help students celebrate Halloween, meet new people, and feel at home on campus. 

Inside the Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom at the Texas Union, the Campus E+E’s Unwind Committee hosted its annual “Who Done It?” murder mystery dinner on Oct. 28, inviting students to step into the role of detective for the night. Between dinner and clues, students worked together to solve the case before the end of the night.

“It’s a very interactive event,” said Harshpreet Kaur, chair of the Unwind Committee. “Volunteer suspects come in, and they see the actor group kind of act out the murder that’s happening.” 

It’s like the game “Clue,” only in real life. Students sit at round tables in the ballroom, teaming up to solve the mystery as a lead detective actor reveals clues and evidence throughout the night. They’re free to explore the room, examine the evidence and question the volunteer suspects. 

According to its website, the Unwind Committee of Campus E+E organizes themed events like these throughout the year to bring students together through immersive and relaxing experiences where students can meet new people and celebrate together.

“I definitely saw groups that came in that were not together at first and they left together and had conversations later,” she said. “So I think these events really unite students in unique ways.” 

For many students, especially freshmen and transfers, that sense of connection and community is what makes these events stand out. Beyond the clues and dramatic reveals, the main goal, Kaur said, is to help students adjust and find community at a large university like UT. 

Just a few blocks away, another Halloween event took place in the plaza at one of UT’s most well-known buildings. 

At Jester Plaza, University Housing and Dining hosted its annual Jester Tower of Terror on Oct. 29. Students made their way through a haunted house, danced to a live DJ, watched “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and enjoyed fun fall-themed activities like pumpkin painting, free food and drinks. 

“It’s like a choose-your-own-adventure,” said Jacob Arnold, one of UHD’s Complex Coordinators for Jester West. “It’s just making sure we have enough activities to cater towards the large scale number of residents and students that walk by.”

Anthony Martinez, another UHD Complex Coordinator for Jester West, said this event has been around for 15 years, originally starting in Jester East as “Hallow-East,” a small event hosted by resident assistants. Over the years, it started attracting more students and later, it expanded into a joint event between Jester East and West–now known as Jester Tower of Terror. 

“We would start seeing a lot of students from Jester West go over to Jester East for this event,” said Martinez. “I think that really incentivized the collaboration between the two buildings.” 

Both Arnold and Martinez said the annual event does more than provide entertainment. Like Campus E+E’s murder mystery dinner, it helps build community for on-campus residents and students. 

“The ultimate goal is to build community and for all of our residents to feel safe, to feel like they have a voice here in the building, and feel like they belong,” said Arnold. 

For students like Nrithya Mahesh, a UT freshman business major, attending events like the murder mystery dinner and Jester Tower of Terror are ways for students to take a break from classes and get involved with life on campus.

“I think events like these allow students to join something that isn’t academic or in a competitive club,” said Mahesh. 

For students still adjusting to life on campus, UT’s spooky seasonal events like these offer more than just fun and decorations–they’re creative and collaborative ways to find community and belonging. 

As Halloween wraps up, both organizations are already looking ahead to their next events. 

Campus E+E will host an immersive renaissance dinner show in the Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom on November 13th, 14th and 15th. Each person in attendance requires a ticket to enter. For more information on the show and where to buy tickets, go to utunions.thundertix.com and Campus E+E’s Instagram, @utexascee. 

Meanwhile, University Housing and Dining will celebrate the fall season by hosting a BYO Trail Mix Thanksgiving Pop-Up at various dining halls on campus with UHD registered dietitians on Nov. 13. Students will be able to build a trail mix with their favorite sweet and salty treats while sharing what they are most grateful for this season. For more information on this event, visit UHD’s events website at https://housing.utexas.edu/events.