Halloween night is a festival of tricks, treats, and time with friends. The Paranormal Investigation & Research Organization (PIRO) helped to bring the good times to the university campus. The organization  hosted a costume ball for both students and non-students to enjoy the last night of October.

Students across campus gathered to the German Club to celebrate one last huzzah for the month of haunting. The room was decorated to give an atmosphere of a lively party with a haunted house vibe. Students danced to requested songs and dined on buffet food provided by the school.

Costumed students came together ranging from pairs to large groups. Some dressed up as pop culture figures from TV and movies, while others put their own spin on classic monsters and creatures that are synonymous with Halloween. The students told Charger Bulletin that they thought the costume ball was a good way to end October.

“We really like Halloween and we wanted to have fun,” said Jordan Green and friend Shannon Riley, who dressed up as Starfire and Robin from Teen Titans. “Nice to do something relating to Halloween on campus the night of.”

“The goal of the night was to provide a fun time in a large area where everyone can come in and party,” PIRO President Amanda Santamaria who dressed as Tinkerbell for the night explained. “It’s a fun yearly event to celebrate Halloween, and we want everyone to come.”

PIRO also prepared a costume contest for students to participate in. Votes were cast based on audience applause. Four students had the chance to walk away with medals for four different categories: Funniest, Scariest, Most Creative, and Best Costume of the Night.

Winners of the night included Mary Elizabeth Silver in her bold Snow White outfit for creativity . Scariest went to the steam-punk Lady of the Night portrayed by Meghan Luke. The  funniest was Noah Castro who cosplayed the iconic Rock Sanchez from Rick and Morty. Finally, after competing in all four contests, Alex Cadavid took home the gold with his Carsynic Blade costume as the Best Costume of the Night.