Going to school at Saint Mary’s comes with a lot of unique opportunities and situations. As an all-women’s college, many of our courses are tailored towards women’s voices. As a small, Catholic, liberal arts college, many of our courses are discussion-based and draw on all areas of a student’s life. We have an incredibly supportive alumnae network, and we have many opportunities to travel abroad. But the one unique part of Saint Mary’s that I’ve had to deal with in the few days since we’ve moved in is all the paranormal activity.
I know, it sounds crazy. Pick up a copy of “Quiet Hours,” though, and you might just be convinced. And if you’re not, talk to some students who have lived in Le Mans Hall.
I lived in Le Mans during my first year, but I never really knew much about the ghosts and spirits in the building, and I never experienced anything in the second Annex. As a junior, I’m living in the fourth-floor infirmary. Yes, infirmary, as in where they kept the sick people back in the day.
The first night in our new dorm room, my roommate and I noticed that one wall of our bedroom has a weird square door that is nailed shut. We tried to open it, and the second we pulled back on it, the door alarm in the hallway went off. Did we release some spirit that was sleeping pleasantly behind the door?
The other night, we went to a get together off campus, and I left my string lights above my desk on. They are battery-operated and not on a timer. When we came back, they were off. I checked, and they still turned on, so the battery had not died. None of my friends who normally just walk into my room said they had even gone in, let alone turned off my lights.
But the other night, my neighbors experienced something crazy. One girl woke up to someone — or something — tapping on her loft, causing her bed to vibrate. And then, her lights turned off and back on. Her roommate was fast asleep, but in the middle of the night, what could it have been other than something paranormal?
Supposedly, Saint Mary’s sets aside rooms for students whose rooms are haunted. Now, I don’t know how to verify this fact, but I know other students who have woken up to their beds being shaken when no one else was awake, or seeing a woman in a red cloak who disappeared into thin air. And don’t even get me started on what happens in Queen’s Court.
In college, we have to deal with a lot. Adding a haunted dorm room to that is just really what I need in my junior year. So, as you settle into your new rooms, watch out for any spirits lingering on campus.
