Students opened their doors to community trick-or-treaters Oct. 27 as part of an annual Ball State tradition.

Dorm trick-or-treating was held across campus in multiple residence halls including Woodworth Complex, Noyer Complex, Studebaker Hall, DeHority Complex and Park Hall.

Shea Myers, a Muncie resident, took her two daughters to Woodworth to participate in the on-campus trick-or-treating.

"My girls love this. It's a nice for them to see lots of older kids and hopefully have some good interactions,” Myers said. "I brought my one daughter here last year, but I brought them both this time. They're having a lot of fun."

Dorm trick-or-treating has attracted hundreds of community members in the past few years as a safer alternative to the traditional Halloween night festivities.

Many communities, schools and churches offer alternatives to trick-or-treating designed to keep children safely within parents' views, according to an Indiana Department of Transportation news release. Some hospitals and schools, like Ball State, allow children to trick-or-treat by going from room to room, virtually eliminating the dangers associated with being out walking on the street after dark.

"I think I'll still take them out to do more [trick-or-treating] next week, but this was nice because it was an environment I know is safe and it makes sense, especially for the little kids,” Myers said.

The experience isn’t only for the community trick-or-treaters.

For Ball State students like Sage Thompson, a freshman undecided major, the tradition gave her a taste of what it was like to be a kid again in anticipation for Halloween. 

"I don't really do much trick-or-treating anymore, but it's cool seeing all this little kids around here talking and laughing with us,” Thompson said. "I didn't want to hand out candy at first, but I'm glad I did. It's been really fun."

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