Double, double treats and trouble

"Are you excited?"

"Yeah!"

"Ready to get lots of candy?"

"Yeah!"

Last night, excitement filled the air as Resident Director Joshua Beeson welcomed 25 students from Paint Branch Elementary School to Cumberland Hall for a night of Halloween fun.

After completing their weekly tutoring sessions with university students, elementary students in the Lakeland STARS program piled into the dorm lobby to listen to Beeson's welcome and receive a preview of college life.

Though most students could not contain their Halloween excitement, one looked ahead to his academic future.

"Is college fun?" he asked.

As the tutors replied with a resounding "yes," Beeson split the students into four groups to invade the dorm, trick-or-treating door to door.

Sophomore chemical engineering major Susanna Kaumeyer is a tutor for the program and walked the halls with her excited tutee.

"The kids got off the bus, and all they wanted to do was trick-or-treat," she said.

Sophomore French education and history major Samantha Fowler, another tutor, dressed in wings and a tutu, agreed and added, "It was lots of fun. There were about 40 residents signed up, but when people saw the kids, a lot went and grabbed candy from their rooms to hand out."

An eight-year-old boy, dressed as a "pumpkin that lights up," was pleased with his candy-filled grocery bag, especially the bags of Sour Skittles.

"This year was better than last," he said. "I got lots of candy."

A six-year-old who dressed in his school uniform because he was saving his Michael Myers costume for Friday night agreed.

"I had a lot of fun," he said.

Beeson said the Cumberland residents always enjoy the event, which has been going for at least four years. This event was part of a two-day program in which students visited Centreville Hall on Wednesday night. Beeson said he hopes to extend the program to more dorms in the Cambridge Community in the future.

"The residents love it," he said. "It's like a flashback to their childhood."

When the students entered the halls, residents spilled into the hallway to admire the colorful costumes, from witches with wigs to crusaders with capes. Students knocked on doors with pumpkins, indicating participating residents, and were greeted with bags of candy and smiles.

Freshman letters and sciences major Elise Mendelsohn was excited to host the trick-or-treaters.

"I haven't seen little kids in so long," she said. "They are so cute!"

For some elementary students, trick-or-treating in the dorms is their only opportunity, as their parents will not let them trick-or-treat in College Park.

For others, though, Thursday night's excursion was just a warm-up for Friday night.

"Tomorrow night is my big night," said the eight-year-old pumpkin.

Lakeland STARS is an academic enrichment program that began in 1996 and is sponsored by College Park Scholars. First- to sixth-grade students meet weekly with university tutors to complete homework and participate in recreational activities. The program hopes to excite students about college while developing their academic skills.

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