Scary tales drift through campus
By Cynthia Tom
Special to Daily Forty-Niner
Popular urban legends may have students
peering into the backseats of cars before getting in, but much more frightening
to some are legends on campus. From the University Student Union
to the dorms, it seems as if folklore lurks in all corners of campus.
"At night, all doors [to the Student Union
Information Center] are locked during cleanup, but sometimes you hear the
sound of doors opening or closing," said Hector Chavez, a junior electrical
engineering major and two-year campus employee.
"I noticed this twice, and both times,
when I went to go check the doors, they were still locked. Another
time, my co-worker and I were on the third floor of the Union, ready to
take the elevator downstairs, and it just operated itself."
Other Student Union employees have also
said they notice mysterious activity.
"It can be foggy in one spot, but 10 feet
away it'll be clear," said Robert Parker, a history major. "Another 20
feet from there, it can be foggy again."
Community service officer Robert Ang,
a freshman aerospace engineering major, recalls one story he heard from
his co-workers.
"Supposedly, a few years back, a worker
spotted a truck in the parking lot, and someone had committed suicide in
the back under the cab," Ang said.
Toni Beron, assistant vice president of
public affairs, confirmed reports of the incident. Apparently, it was an
accidental death.
One of the most popular stories involves
the campus bell tower.
Michael Romero, membership gift coordinator
for KLON 88.1, a jazz radio station at CSULB, dispels the urban myth that
the bell tower was haunted.
"My first year here, in 1993, there was
supposed to be a ghost in our bell tower," Romero said. "In the middle
of the night, it'd ring by itself, and then stop by itself. As it
turned out, the bell was on a timer and was malfunctioning."
The residence halls also have been sites
of a few alleged oddities. Freshman Randy Ramos, an engineering major,
lives in Residence Commons, which hosts has its own supernatural happenings.
According to the myth, dirt was taken from
Puvungna, the nearby American Indian burial ground, to make the cement
for the construction of the building. The basement, which houses the laundry
facilities, was made completely of cement and residents claim clothes are
sometimes taken from the washer and dryer doors mysteriously open themselves.
While notorious campus stories and legends
span all corners of CSULB, the truth behind them is a matter of individual
opinion and sure to be questioned as Halloween looms closer. |
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