Ohio University’s Residence Hall Association hosted RHAlloween Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, inviting local elementary and middle school students to Ohio University Greens for an evening of trick-or-treating.
The RHA welcomed families to East, South and West Green to celebrate the annual trick-or-treating extravaganza. From 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., students from the Alexander and Athens School Districts roamed residence hall lobbies, collecting candy.
Devin Lands, a junior studying biological sciences, is the president of the RHA and said hundreds of guests attended each night.
RHAlloween started in the 1990s and students placed Halloween signs outside their dorms for trick-or-treaters. Custodial staff were also invited and over time, advertising attracted hundreds of locals. Lands said the Central Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls awarded RHAlloween the “program of the year” in 2024.
Multiple students from organizations and volunteers worked together to run RHAlloween successfully.
“Every single Hall Council is participating, so that's over 250 students working to give kids a wonderful trick-or-treating experience,” he said. “We have 50 volunteers from different student organizations, (and) we work with OUPD. It's really fun to see how they all work together to give back to our community.”
For local families who attended RHAlloween, the spooky decorations and activities only added to the trick-or-treating excitement.
“I really like the decorations and seeing older adults dress up and things,” Ashley Hagaman, local mother, said. “(My kids) like to see them, too. It is also not as crowded, and they have activities for kids of all ages.”
Hagaman said her family are regulars at RHAlloween and prefer it over neighborhood trick-or-treating.
“So my oldest is 13,” she said. “We really branched out coming to OU probably six years ago, maybe seven years ago. It’s been a lot easier...and the baby seems to like it better because there’s not so many people.”
Lands said RHAlloween was not only fun for volunteers and attendees, but beneficial for the Athens community.
“Athens has a reputation around Halloween…so normal trick-or-treating is not as accessible to families and kids throughout the Athens area,” Lands said.
Trick-or-treating laws including age limits and curfews prioritize the safety of children and parents participating in Halloween festivities. The National Safety Council states trick-or-treaters should wear fire-resistant costumes and accessories and watch the roads, as children are “more than twice as likely” to get hit by a car on Halloween.
Due to safety concerns, the RHA ensured the event was a safe and positive experience for families.
“I think one of the wonderful things about Athens and Ohio University is how we are tied together,” Lands said. “This is a great way for us as students to kind of give back to them and then engage them in a really fun way.”
Rita Janssens, vice president of programming for the RHA, said planning RHAlloween was not easy, but in the end, rewarding.
“It's amazing,” Janssens said. “It really helps build community and helps us connect to Athens County…we communicate with the libraries (and) all of the Athens schools…we’re not isolating everybody, we’re tight knit together.”
