Bradley has no shortage of spooky buildings. If the Scout staff were to die and haunt anywhere on campus, here are the buildings that they’d choose:
Jade – Heuser
Last year, I entered the Heuser art building for the first time at 3 a.m. during the tail-end of spring finals. Perhaps it was the emptiness of campus or witching hour getting to me, but I was thoroughly spooked. The building is straight out of the ʼ90s from the decor to the equipment, which made me feel like I had entered an alternate dimension. Yet, I couldn’t feel more at home. I’ve always loved the ʼ90s and would love to spend the rest of my haunting years in a creepy building trapped in my favorite decade. Art students burning the midnight oil would be the ideal victim for my ghostly shenanigans, and I would take full advantage of their deteriorating mental state to give them the ultimate fright. No door would go unslammed and no art supply would ever be where they left it. I would wreak havoc — with a tasteful ‘90s flair, of course.
Daniel – Constance Hall
Already boasting a forbidding exterior, my preferred haunting locale would be the music building, Constance Hall. Playing eerie music on the grand piano on the fourth floor for all eternity would be a pretty sweet deal. Plus, stressed-out music students would make terrific targets for tricks. Famously sweltering, the practice rooms could freeze over with a ghostly chill in a snap. Imagine a member of the Bradley chorale finding themselves harmonizing with the lonesome wail of the dearly departed. Some might say, “Well, isn’t Constance already haunted?” Yes, it is. Legend has it that the former dean Olive B. White has been keeping tabs on her old haunts since the days that she presided over Constance Hall as a women’s dormitory. When The Scout investigated these claims in Oct. 2016, they found evidence to suggest another spirit residing there that was not Olive. At any rate, it’s good to know I’ll have company.
Angeline – Sisson Hall
As an old dorm hall and current home to many student organizations, human resources, administrative offices and more, the haunting potential of this already creepy building is astounding. Having spent most of my time at Bradley in Sisson, I know the best ways to mess with people hard at work. Maybe sounds of running water from the old shower stalls or from the faucets that don’t work would do the trick. Some random stomping noises or a sudden chill could send a shiver down someone’s spine. If these sounds are loud enough, it would be an extra bonus to spook anyone in the Student Center since the two buildings are connected. Additionally, the doors that separate the long hallways are a great opportunity to make people think someone is going to walk by, frightening them when no one ever comes. There is also the chance to make some ghost friends, as there are suspicions that the building is currently haunted, particularly the third floor near The Scout’s office.
Madalyn – Harper Hall
If I was a ghost and I had to haunt one building at Bradley, I would have to choose Harper Hall. Currently, Harper is already occupied by a few other ghosts, so if I joined in I would make it a party. I would have SO much fun messing around with the students and causing them to freak out. As cruel as it sounds, I would mess with them during finals and knock stuff down off of their shelves and steal their papers and notebooks just to impress the other ghosts. To make it up to the students I haunt, I would go to other students’ rooms that they hated and make their life awful. All in all, I just think haunting Harper could be really fun especially because I would still have all my other ghost friends there with me.
Jonathan – RenCo control room
From a fan’s perspective, Renaissance Coliseum is a gleaming temple of sport. It certainly does not seem spooky, as it is well-lit, usually full of people and built after the turn of the century. As one of the newer buildings on campus, many would think that it would be free from any haunts… until I show up. Nestled in the underbelly of RenCo is the control room for Braves Vision, the student sports broadcasting group on campus. During game days, a few aspiring sports media professionals sit in the cord-filled, black-painted room controlling video boards, providing instant replays and giving directions for camera operators. While hundreds of fans cheer in the arena and enjoy the action on the court, the joyous sounds from the games are muffled behind the black brick walls and enclosed doors to the control room. It’s a perfect opportunity to keep those working behind the scenes on their toes: wisping around in front of microphones on students’ headsets, jiggling a cable or pressing an inadvertent button on keyboards to make the screens in RenCo go dark. After all, the Braves volleyball and women’s basketball players wouldn’t mind an extra chance to catch their breath while arena staff try to amend the technical difficulties.
Valerie – Westlake Hall
As far as the spookiest building, Westlake isn’t creepy, but the potential to freak people out on a psychological level is definitely there. A sudden figure could form behind the frosted glasses even though no one is there. As a student stares at the windows of old Westlake to new Westlake, they’ll notice someone staring back. Once the creeper decides to pace directly to the next window, they never reappear in the next glass, leaving students to wonder where they went. To honor the first studies of Bradley, imagine how insane students would go by hearing an overwhelming amount of ticking clocks in their head while trying to study. Maybe a haunted building is motivation enough to get an assignment done as soon as possible!
Larry – Williams Hall penthouse
As a student who lived on the 5th floor of Williams for my first two years of residence at Bradley, I would nearly always take the stairs for exercise sake. On days when I was distracted texting during the climb, I would accidentally begin the ascent up the extra flight of stairs to the sixth floor. While I always realized before I got too far up, my mind would always wonder… what in tarnation is in that small structure on top of Williams? The answer is likely storage, but if I were a ghost, I could finally find out. Additionally, this would provide me with the opportunity to spook those texting while walking up the staircase…
Sam – Lower floor of Cullom-Davis Library
There’s always been a certain feeling in the “quiet study” floor of the library that I believe lends itself to a good haunting. The whites and grays of the walls, the general layout of the closed-off spaces, the olden fabrics of the carpets and chairs, all topped off with the silence in the air — the atmosphere is almost built into the place. As someone who’s suffered from that feeling for a considerable portion of their college tenure, the least I could do is pay it forward to a few students. Imagine being immersed in your study when you hear the thud of a stray book throwing itself off a shelf and then another one two shelves down. Your ear catches something else; is it just the radiation whir, or someone whispering? Just as you make it out, the lights turn off — not every single one, but just enough to make the space of the floor feel unfamiliar. In the midst of the darkness, the PA turns on, and instead of a closing-time announcement, it’s nothing but incomprehensible noise for 10 seconds. After that, all the lights flick back on and everything returns to normal — except the students, perhaps.
