Two different student organizations hosted conflicting Halloween parties on the Kennesaw campus Oct. 27. Though planned with good intentions, the events ended up competing with one another due to their overlapped timing.
The more publicized of the two events was “Goosebumps Party,” hosted by the Kennesaw Activities Board and held downstairs in the student center.
“We take a portion of student fees, and we turn the fees into fun,” said Jessica Stewart, senior communication major and president of KAB.
Team Take No Ls hosted an “L-O-Ween Party” at the gazebo.
TTNL’s goal is to promote the idea of recognizing one’s failures, refusing to accept them and then growing from that experience. They host various events on campus, all of which are centered around the idea of “taking no losses.”
At the “L-O-Ween Party,” the student leaders of TTNL encouraged attendees to “burn their Ls.” Students wrote down their fears on L-shaped pieces of paper and burned them in the fire pits, symbolizing the refusal to be overcome by that fear.
The “Goosebumps Party” and the “L-O-Ween Party” were similarly structured. They started around the same time and featured dancing, food and costume contests. Even the decorations were similar, with both organizations incorporating green and orange lights, cobwebs and skeletons into the décor.
Many students, however, started at the “Goosebumps Party” in the student center, then after hearing about “L-O-Ween” moved over to the gazebo outside of the Social Sciences building where TTNL had fire pits, s’mores and more students.
KAB’s event hosted 140 students while TTNL’s party saw more than 250 people, and several students opted to stay there for a longer period of time.
According to Stewart, KAB planned the “Goosebumps Party” over the summer and added it to the event management system, which all other organizations can see.
“Because ours was already in the system, the other organization knew, so it was kind of like a slap to the face when we found out that that program was happening,” Stewart said.
She explained that, upon realizing the events were scheduled for the same day and time, KAB reached out to TTNL in an attempt to combine the two parties but never received a response.
Justin Ross, senior business management major and president of TTNL, said the lack of communication was not intentional. He insisted that the group did not intend for their party to conflict with KAB’s.
“We decided it was in our best interest to keep our events separate,” Ross said. “We definitely would look to collaborate with them in the future. KAB definitely has great outreach, great leadership, so an event like that would be unforgettable at Kennesaw.”
Despite the time conflict with TTNL, Stewart expressed her gratitude that students had a good time at both events.
“At the end of the day, students were satisfied, whether they went to Team Take No Ls or whether they came here,” Stewart said. “I’m really excited that that we were able to have multiple things for Halloween going on.”
Though there was clash between the events and their organizers, the situation was resolved peacefully with hopes of more effective communication and coordination in the future.
Students can follow KAB on Instagram at @ksukab to see pictures of the winning costumes as well as to learn about upcoming events. TTNL also posts about upcoming events on Instagram and Twitter at @teamtakenols.
