Spooky Tales on Campus Grounds
The Cult News| October 2014
As we slowly approach the month of frights and terrors –the month of Halloween, or Samhuinn, for those who are unaware- thoughts of beasts and ghouls encroach into our minds. Deep in pits of our psyche, we begin to ask ourselves questions we normally consider childishly preposterous: Is the paranormal real? Have I ever seen the paranormal? Are there ghosts where I live or study?
Today, I will be your ghastly guide through the tales of horror told on the campus of UCR. Be prepared to be astonished by the urban legends whispered in the schools of Medicine, Architecture, and even Liberal Arts.
The Cult News| October 2014
By B.A. Umaña.
As we slowly approach the month of frights and terrors –the month of Halloween, or Samhuinn, for those who are unaware- thoughts of beasts and ghouls encroach into our minds. Deep in pits of our psyche, we begin to ask ourselves questions we normally consider childishly preposterous: Is the paranormal real? Have I ever seen the paranormal? Are there ghosts where I live or study?
Today, I will be your ghastly guide through the tales of horror told on the campus of UCR. Be prepared to be astonished by the urban legends whispered in the schools of Medicine, Architecture, and even Liberal Arts.
MEDICINE:
It doesn’t take too long to find ghost stories in the school that has a morgue in its backend, particularly when the main of- fice for Graduate Studies is found right next to it. When I first walked into the office, the staff working there told me that a door to the lich-house had been sealed off on their side. They tapped on the door and told me that the only thing that kept them from walking into the morgue was a thin layer of plywood.
“You came to the right place,” said the kind lady who first assisted me, and before I could sit down, they started to speak of their ex- periences.
To start out, the four talking –who asked me to keep them anon- ymous for professional reasons- agreed that they had all heard their names whispered in the wee hours of the night when no one was around. One of them said she was working alone when she heard the sound of someone or something violently stamping pa- pers with the school seal.
“We work with those seals a lot,” she clarified. “I know the sound they make better than anyone.” Looking around nervously, and laughing a little, she said “I was afraid of walking out of my per- sonal office and seeing a ghost on one of the working desks.”
Alongside that, she, and the other staff members have had their computers print out papers that they do not ask for, and have walked towards their desks only to find out the papers on them had been unarranged.
But of all the stories they tell, the one they remember with great- est clarity is that of Dr. Grillo.
Dr. Grillo, was a well known doctor in the school of medicine, and everyone in the staff knew him well. In 2013, on a January morn- ing, the four saw him sitting on one of the chairs outside of their office and greeted him; what none of them knew was that he had
It doesn’t take too long to find ghost stories in the school that has a morgue in its backend, particularly when the main of- fice for Graduate Studies is found right next to it. When I first walked into the office, the staff working there told me that a door to the lich-house had been sealed off on their side. They tapped on the door and told me that the only thing that kept them from walking into the morgue was a thin layer of plywood.
“You came to the right place,” said the kind lady who first assisted me, and before I could sit down, they started to speak of their ex- periences.
To start out, the four talking –who asked me to keep them anon- ymous for professional reasons- agreed that they had all heard their names whispered in the wee hours of the night when no one was around. One of them said she was working alone when she heard the sound of someone or something violently stamping pa- pers with the school seal.
“We work with those seals a lot,” she clarified. “I know the sound they make better than anyone.” Looking around nervously, and laughing a little, she said “I was afraid of walking out of my per- sonal office and seeing a ghost on one of the working desks.”
Alongside that, she, and the other staff members have had their computers print out papers that they do not ask for, and have walked towards their desks only to find out the papers on them had been unarranged.
But of all the stories they tell, the one they remember with great- est clarity is that of Dr. Grillo.
Dr. Grillo, was a well known doctor in the school of medicine, and everyone in the staff knew him well. In 2013, on a January morn- ing, the four saw him sitting on one of the chairs outside of their office and greeted him; what none of them knew was that he had
been hospitalized in November of the year before.
“And on the day he died,” said one of the ladies. “The front door to our office was slammed three times; just like Dr. Grillo would slam the door.”
Near the end of the interview, the first lady to assist me said. “I guess that with exception of Dr. Grillo, the other ghosts scare us late at night to remind us that we have to leave work and go home.”
A fascinating idea, I thought. ---
ARCHITECTURE:
Almost everyone who works in the main secretary office of the School of Architecture knows of “la china”. After asking the lady working at the main window of the office, she brought me inside to speak to one of their “best informed” colleagues.
“According to what has been, la china –the Chinese student-,” said the secretary they sent out, “was a student when we still had the school of Agronomy here. According to the story, the school was throwing a party when this student decided to jump from the third floor of the building onto the street below.
“Eventually, her ghost decided to stay here and has become a common story here in the school.”
After a while, a professor and alumni of the school overheard our conversation, and decided to tell me his side of the story.
“I was around when this school would allow students to stay over- night in the building. Back then, we would all huddle together in the first and second floors of the edifice, because everyone knew la china lived in the third. If you walked around the third floor in the night, she would appear as a beam of light, and would not allow you to enter the bathrooms or leave the floor. I get shivers
“And on the day he died,” said one of the ladies. “The front door to our office was slammed three times; just like Dr. Grillo would slam the door.”
Near the end of the interview, the first lady to assist me said. “I guess that with exception of Dr. Grillo, the other ghosts scare us late at night to remind us that we have to leave work and go home.”
A fascinating idea, I thought. ---
 |
| Illustration by A.Rodríguez |
ARCHITECTURE:
Almost everyone who works in the main secretary office of the School of Architecture knows of “la china”. After asking the lady working at the main window of the office, she brought me inside to speak to one of their “best informed” colleagues.
“According to what has been, la china –the Chinese student-,” said the secretary they sent out, “was a student when we still had the school of Agronomy here. According to the story, the school was throwing a party when this student decided to jump from the third floor of the building onto the street below.
“Eventually, her ghost decided to stay here and has become a common story here in the school.”
After a while, a professor and alumni of the school overheard our conversation, and decided to tell me his side of the story.
“I was around when this school would allow students to stay over- night in the building. Back then, we would all huddle together in the first and second floors of the edifice, because everyone knew la china lived in the third. If you walked around the third floor in the night, she would appear as a beam of light, and would not allow you to enter the bathrooms or leave the floor. I get shivers
from memories I have of la China.” ---
LIBERAL ARTS:
Liberal Arts –known more commonly as “letras” by those who take classes in the school- has a ghost story of its own. To find a lead, yours truly had to ask the cafeteria lady,
a professor, and a secretary to guide me
to the person who would have a haunt- ing tale to tell. At last, I spoke to Eduardo Vargas, a school custodian, who, when asked to tell me his story, gave me a great, glimmering smile.
“I am responsible for opening the building up in the mornings. Five years ago, when I was walking down from the third floor to the second floor hall on the outer wing, I saw a ghostly shadow of sorts. I noticed the shadow and decided that I wanted
to know what it was. As I got closer, the shadow disappeared and I suddenly felt a bone-shaking chill run through my body. It also felt like I had a terrible weight on me that I could not shake off.”
Astounded, I was unable to speak; but I did not need to. Giving me an even wider smile –most likely caused by my look of surprise, he said. “Before I knew it, the keys I had in my pocket were gone.”
Then I looked at him with a cocked head. The first part of the story shocked me, but the second spurred my curiosity. I asked him, “Are you sure you didn’t lose them before?” He nodded.
“I guarantee that I had them on me when the shadow crossed my body; I could feel them as I disappeared. In fact, I was in such disbelief that I looked in the custo- dian office and all the classrooms before I was sure it happened.”
---
Be it a door-slamming doctor, a ghoulish student, or a key stealing shad- ow, the school is laden with tales of the paranormal; and even if you are unable to believe in these stories, talking about these legends can be a great way to start a conversation.
Boo.
Liberal Arts –known more commonly as “letras” by those who take classes in the school- has a ghost story of its own. To find a lead, yours truly had to ask the cafeteria lady,
a professor, and a secretary to guide me
to the person who would have a haunt- ing tale to tell. At last, I spoke to Eduardo Vargas, a school custodian, who, when asked to tell me his story, gave me a great, glimmering smile.
“I am responsible for opening the building up in the mornings. Five years ago, when I was walking down from the third floor to the second floor hall on the outer wing, I saw a ghostly shadow of sorts. I noticed the shadow and decided that I wanted
to know what it was. As I got closer, the shadow disappeared and I suddenly felt a bone-shaking chill run through my body. It also felt like I had a terrible weight on me that I could not shake off.”
Astounded, I was unable to speak; but I did not need to. Giving me an even wider smile –most likely caused by my look of surprise, he said. “Before I knew it, the keys I had in my pocket were gone.”
Then I looked at him with a cocked head. The first part of the story shocked me, but the second spurred my curiosity. I asked him, “Are you sure you didn’t lose them before?” He nodded.
“I guarantee that I had them on me when the shadow crossed my body; I could feel them as I disappeared. In fact, I was in such disbelief that I looked in the custo- dian office and all the classrooms before I was sure it happened.”
---
Be it a door-slamming doctor, a ghoulish student, or a key stealing shad- ow, the school is laden with tales of the paranormal; and even if you are unable to believe in these stories, talking about these legends can be a great way to start a conversation.
Boo.
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