Over 500 people attended The Great Crumpkin and rang in the Halloween season by listening to student performances and watching student horror films at the Armstrong-Crum Quad on Oct. 18.
“In my opinion, it’s probably the biggest tradition that the commons systems have on campus,” said Sam Walsh, Crum Commons Council’s Director of Communications.
This year, the event continued the tradition of featuring musical performances from Crum students and SMU students across campus. SMU freshman Amber Bormann sang two original songs called “Reflections” and “Snake Charmer,” and covered Dolly Parton’s hit “Jolene.” Bormann’s set garnered loud applause and cheers from enthusiastic faces all over the lawn.
“She put a lot of time and effort into her work and it reflected,” said Abena Marfo, Crum Commons Council Director of External Affairs. “I’m glad that she felt comfortable enough to use the Crumpkin platform to share that with everyone.”
Bormann, a first-time Crumpkin attendee, said that she loved sharing her performance with everyone who came because they were encouraging, especially when she told them about her upcoming album.
“I loved being able to share a part of me with my peers,” Bormann said. “Everyone was so supportive and welcoming.”
The Belle Tones, Digital Cadillac, Marcelo Sanabria, and Alison Nichols performed as well. The Mustang Mavericks, SMU’s country western dance team, also made an appearance. Five student-produced short horror films were shown to cap off of the night.
SMU sophomore Eman Haque said that her favorite part of the whole experience was the performances because of the opportunity to see her friends or peers perform. She also liked watching the student films because of the time and effort the creators put into making them.
“Everyone just enjoys it,” Haque said. “You get to be a part of it and see it all come to life.”
Attendees could pick up free bags of kettle corn, as well as catered turkey dinner, pie, and refreshments.
On the lawn, students painted their own miniature pumpkins. Some students decorated the pumpkins with painted stripes, creative patterns, or Halloween colors, while others took pictures at the festive fall-themed photo-op.
Crum Commons Council also provided free stickers and t-shirts, and held a raffle for prizes.
Crum Commons Council put in a huge team effort to make the event itself happen. Nicole Parmelee, Crum Peer Academic Leader and member of the council’s Activity and Aesthetics Committee, said that there were a lot of meetings, coordination, and online search involved in planning the event.
“We started during the summer before school even started, so it was a lot, but it’s worth it,” she said.
Advertising also began early. Crum residents, dressed in pumpkin costumes, spread the word across campus by tabling and talking to students in the days leading up to the event.
Wash explained how the Great Crumpkin differs from other commons events by being able to attract students from inside and outside of Crum and bring them together.
“It’s really cool because I feel like typically a lot of commons events are within their commons, and we do a really good job of pulling from other commons,” he said.
