Candy Crawl: New terrifying Rider trick-or-treat tradition

By Teagan Rotella

Halloween’s crisp, autumn afternoon would not have been completed without Candy Crawl’s perfectly nostalgic atmosphere. Despite the strong winds and long walks, students were determined to gather as much free candy as they could before the end of the event.

On Oct. 31, Candy Crawl’s inaugural event featured 24 different participating locations scattered in various buildings across campus. At each location, students were met with warm and welcoming faces, eager to meet anyone who walked through their doors.

Each room marked on the Candy Crawl map was filled entirely with Halloween decorations, featuring skeletons, pumpkins and spiderwebs, along with a large variety of candy options. 

Beyond the candy and decorations, this event stood out as Rider’s newest Halloween tradition and made a positive impression on many students.

Ella Hess-Sallach, a sophomore secondary education major, mentioned how Candy Crawl has now changed Halloween at Rider for the better.

“People dressed up last year, but there wasn’t that same sense of community,” Hess-Sallach said, remembering how the Halloween-themed events around campus last year felt more separated rather than together. 

“I don’t remember one thing being open to the entire community … I don’t really remember anything involved,” she said. 

In previous years, Rider never had a Halloween tradition set in stone. However Vice President for Student Affairs Nick Barbati planned to change that.

This year, Barbati was inspired to coordinate Candy Crawl based on the increasing interest in Halloween from students and faculty.

“I thought it would be really great to turn this into a bit of a map to get students around, acclimated to the different offices on campus and in the process, get candy!” Barbati said.

Barbati believes that Candy Crawl will return next year due to the unexpectedly high amount of student interest. There was an estimated 165 students that signed up for it, Barbati said, which was beyond what they had anticipated.

Despite its inspiration, faculty members found themselves enjoying the event not just for Halloween, but for the chance to engage with students on a more personal level.

Director of Performance Management Kristen Rodgers highlighted the uniqueness of Candy Crawl, stating how she would  love to see more interactive events between faculty, staff and students in the future.

“This was a great event … [ the Candy Crawl] has been a lot of fun … It’s just really nice to be able to connect directly with students and see everyone’s creativity,” Rodgers said.

Similarly to Rodgers, Global Programs Manager of the Office of International Education Joana Pirela de De Gregorio liked that Candy Crawl allowed her to build “relationship[s] with the student[s]” rather than only focusing on advertising the services and opportunities Rider’s study abroad program offers. 

However, for most students, connections were not the most memorable part of Candy Crawl.

Vyan Datt, a sophomore psychology major, particularly enjoyed the atmosphere of this event, expressing how it was “very nostalgic” for her.

“I used to trick or treat a lot when I was younger. I haven’t done it in a while, but it just brings that back. I really enjoyed this event and I’m really glad they did it,” Datt said.

Junior psychology major Vanessa De Jesus also highlighted the nostalgic atmosphere of Candy Crawl.

“You can kind of feel like a little kid again, especially when walking to the president’s house,” De Jesus said. 

Rider President John Loyack’s  house is located across the street from campus, which De Jesus said reminded her of trick or treating.

After crossing Lawrence Road and passing a few houses, students reached a white Colonial Revival home, its windows framed with black shutters and decorated with oversized spiders, ready to greet them.

Upon knocking on the bright front red door, Rider students were given candy trick-or-treat style. And not just any candy, but king-sized candy.!

Despite being far away from the rest of the Candy Crawl locations, Loyack’s residence earned the right of being the most favored location of them all. 

Freshman behavioral neuroscience major Catherine Potgieter has attended most, if not all, of Rider’s events on campus since the start of her first semester here. 

Potgieter believes that what makes Candy Crawl stand out compared to other events is how she “got to see most of [Rider’s] campus.”

Sophomore English major Lacey Kochuba also loved exploring parts of campus she had never seen before, such as the second floor of the Student Recreation Center and the basement of the Moore Library.

Kochuba said, “It’s nice seeing people in the Halloween spirit.”