It¹s the time when unusual or weird things start to happen. People see and hear things as ghosts and goblins begin to creep into the night.

If the university and Huntington are not the home of many ghosts, they are at least the home of many ghost stories.

Halloween on campus evokes haunting visions amid the mid-term pressures as g

The Sigma Phi Epsilon house, located on 1401 5th Avenue, is said to be occupied by more than just fraternity members.

Chris Neusbaum, Inwood junior and member of the fraternity, says some unexplained things have happened at the house which they tend to blame on a ghost named Gail and her two children.

Neusbaum says Gail and her twin sons died in a fire that originated in the basement of what is now his fraternity house.

³The fire occurred in the late 60s or early 70s. They were all killed,² he says.

Other members of the fraternity and their guests have reported hearing sobs and seeing images that are unexplained, Neusbaum says.

³We don¹t mind having her here, we feel she takes care of the fraternity house,² Neusbaum says.

While Gail takes care of the Sigma Phi Epsilon house, a little boy haunts the Alpha Chi Omega house, located across from Corbly Hall on 5th Avenue.

Christina Gormastic, Wheeling junior and membership chairwoman for the sorority, says the boy was killed in a fire and his ghost now haunts the Alpha Chi Omega house.

Gormastic says she has never had anything happen to her personally, but other members have had little things happen.

Things that were put away in specific places were found missing in just hours of time with no one in the room even awake.

Other members of the sorority say they have seen flickering basement lights. When an electrician was called in to look at the lights, no problems were detected in the wiring.

Small gusts of cool air are also reported to be felt by some of the sisters of Alpha Chi.

Fraternities and sororities are not the only places in Huntington that ghosts are said to haunt. Campus residence halls and office buildings have a few stories of their own.

Jason Ranson, former student and occupant of Twin Towers East says what he experienced in room 1218 is something that he will never forget.

³It still haunts me,² he says.

Ranson says while laying in bed late one night he saw a young man sitting in his room looking up and down at him and his roommate.

³I had this weird feeling and I pulled the cover over my head for just a second, when I looked up the man had vanished and our door was still locked.I looked at my roommate and his fear was as great as mine. We both knew this wasn¹t a prank someone was pulling, it was real,² Ranson says.

Ranson says after he told a couple of people what happened, a friend came forward and said he had heard of a young freshman killing himself on the 12th floor and the room number was 1218.

Ranson told his roommate the story and they agreed they both saw something, but agreed never to mention the incident again to each other.

³It was real to me. I know something happened, it gave me an overwhelming feeling of fear.I had really seen a ghost,² Ranson says.

Halloween is the eve of All Saint¹s Day and the time when the veil between the living and undead is the thinnest, according to pagan customs and beliefs.

The holiday, for Christians, is usually associated with fun-making and masquerading, but on campus it brings sightings of the ghost and goblins.

There are many contradicting stories that float around campus as Halloween approaches. Maybe it is the unexplained supernatural or maybe it is their own inhibitions and fears of appearing 'crazy¹ that keeps many people from talking or even mentioning something of the supernatura thatl may have happened to them. Perhaps it is a fear of the ghosts themselves that prevents people from sharing their experiences.

Hearing bits and pieces seems to be the norm for most people who know anything about the haunted areas of Marshall.

With the long eerie shadow cast by the Gothic structure of Old Main, it¹s no wonder many of Marshall¹s ghost stories originate from a structure that was said once to have been an infirmary during World War II and a girls¹ dormatory.

Charlie Harless, assistant supervisor of building services, said, he has never seen a ghost or even heard anything out of the ordinary.

Harless may have never seen a ghost, but the rumors still persist of haunting experiences that have occurred in the halls of Marshall¹s oldest building.

The attic and even the Yeager suites are said to be haunted by past spirits that have made Old Main their home after death.

While no one will comment on seeing these so-called ghosts, the stories 'float¹ through the halls and are told by students, faculty and staff.

Perhaps many of the red brick structure¹s tale originate on the stage of an old auditorium. Some former production assistants at the theater say they have seen a large, well dressed man sitting back stage during performances. At second glance, the gentleman disappears.

According to a 1990 yearbook, a theater director in the 1920s disappeared after it was discovered he had been embezzling money from the college. Some 60 years later, invoices and bills from the director¹s time arrived at the school signed by the missing director.

And of course, what would any ghost story be without mysterious footsteps. Some former employees of the university said they heard pacing on overhead catwalks, even when no one could be seen.

The library, perhaps the most solemn of campus buildings, is not immune from its share of ghost stories.

Many students, all wishing to remain anyomous, say the stacks are a very spooky place.

Library-goers say they have heard loud arguments, even when they appear to be the only human within a fairly large distance. One student said he has even seen books being removed from the shelves when he is the only one standing there.

As Halloween approaches a fear is welcomed among students. The art of storytelling and mythmaking on campus continues as part of the Halloween and university tradition.