Families consider U. event 'graveyard smash'

More than 1,000 children dressed up in Halloween costumes, played games and won prizes at the Cook/Douglass Recreation Center Saturday during the sixth-annual “Monster Mash.”
“In the first hour, we had [more than] 200 children,” said Matt Zielinski, coordinator of special programs for University Residence Life.
“Monster Mash” was originally a Cook College event, but when the schools combined, the Residence Hall Association, Cook/Douglass Residential Campus Council and Cook/Douglass Residence Life took it on, said SEBS/Cook Council President Steven Le.
“When Cook/Douglass Residential Council first took on ‘Monster Mash,’ we had about 27 organizations, and when we did it for the second time, we had 43 organizations. This year, we put in a lot of hard work and got 75 organizations,” said Le, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences sophomore.
Representatives from Greek life, SEBS/Cook Council, residence halls, the Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club, Galvanizing and Organizing Youth Activism at Rutgers and many other organizations also participated in the event.
Activities included — but were not limited to — a mummy-wrapping contest, a henna tattoo station, face painting and various crafts. One of the more unique activities was the Cook Apartment Government’s version of mini-golf.
“The Cook Apartment Government took the time to make an actual mini-golf station,” Le said. “[The] Latin American Student Organization used the racquetball court and transformed it into the ‘Tunnel of Terror and Treats,’ where the kids had to go through a haunted tunnel. Rockoff Hall Government [taught] the kids to do Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ dance.”
“Monster Mash” transformed the Halloween tradition of collecting candy into awards for the children.
“Instead of just receiving candy, [the kids] have to earn it, so that gives them a sense of accomplishment,” said Katzenbach Residence Hall Government Treasurer Deepa Balavijayan, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences first-year student.
Volunteers garnered a similar sense of accomplishment.
“There was a benefit of providing children with a place where they could enjoy the essence of Halloween without the dangers of going door to door in a dangerous area,” said Ashwini Dhokte, a volunteer for the Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children and a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student.
A distinguishing factor of “Monster Mash” was the broad range of participants.
“For the past six years, this was exclusive to New Brunswick. We’ve extended it to children of Piscataway, Highland Park and North Brunswick. We’re definitely glad [the kids] had fun tonight,” said SEBS/Cook Council Vice Chair Alex Menillo, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore.
Planning for the event began in June, Le said.
“I contacted a lot of schools. We put up a lot of flyers in residence halls and had a huge Facebook group,” said Vice Chair of Douglass Campus Shalini Sinha, a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student.
Parents appreciated “Monster Mash” for bringing the family together at no cost.
“[We came] so that we can go out and just have fun … on a budget. A lot of things cost a lot of money, which we don’t really have,” said Cynthia Fountain, a local resident.
New Brunswick resident Fred Ramirez expressed happiness because his children won free books from the G.O.Y.A. project’s activity table.
When asked if he and his family would attend “Monster Mash” again, he said, “Absolutely. 4,200 percent.”
For those who missed this year’s “Monster Mash,” there is still a chance to get involved next year.
“We love doing it. It’s really rewarding to give back to the community,” Menillo said. “It’s the greatest feeling to see all the smiles on kids’ faces.”
 

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