trick or treat?

In classrooms, in halls, and even off-campus, there is chatter about the upcoming holiday Halloween. One event that sparked the classic trick-or-treat behavior among California State University of Sacramento students was the University Union’s eleventh annual Phlagleblast. 

Perhaps you are wondering what the Phlagleblast is. The Phlagleblast is an event to get students acquainted with the University Union and all of the services it provides. Each of the 23 stations represented a service available to students in the Union. 


Anyways, on Halloween the act of trick-or-treating is rewarded with candy and sometimes other small prizes. Among college students trick-or-treating has changed to knocking on doors to party-hopping for free booze and good time. Either way it is a winning situation for all especially for low-budget college students that cannot afford to add candy and alcohol to their budget. 

Furthermore, another part of Halloween that students chatter about is costumes, and therefore themes. The Phlagleblast did not hesitate to have a theme and some offices in the Union went all out for the jungle theme. The third of the Union was the most extravagant with animal print scarves, a cardboard jeep around a desk, and to please the ears a CD playing sounds of the jungle all complete with rain and tiger roars. If students hung around long enough there was even a man who dressed up as a lion with a lion’s mane on. Talk about being early for Halloween.

However, the Phlagleblast was not intentionally to be like Halloween at all, but it just so happened to be a Halloween spirited event that was a winning situation for Sac State students. With a total of 23 stations set up along the three floor of the University Union, or commonly referred to as the Union, students walked around to each one to get a stamp as well as free stuff.

As for the services that were represented at the stations I could not tell you much. However, I could tell you about the goodies that filled my pocket as I was similarly trick-or-treating through all three floors of the Union. One of my favorites included a Charms loli-pop, and of course what college student could resist a new highlighter?

The biggest treat was rewarded to those students who managed to journey through all three floors and get the complete set of 23 stamps. The choice was either a T-shirt or a student planner. Even more so, just to bribe a large amount of students to complete this tedious task each completed stamp-card was entered in a drawing to win grand prizes. These grand prizes included an I-pad, a X-box 360, a tent, and a few others that most college students could not even imagine purchasing with what little budgets we have. 

The pens, Post-it book flags, highlighter, and loli-pop, or treats, all worked well for encouraging students to complete the journey through the Union’s jungle. But the question that remains unanswered is whether or not students will return to take advantage of the 23 services. 

As for me, even though my student fees pay for these services I doubt I will spend any more time in the Union that I normally do. Just like Halloween I enjoy the treats that come that day but I do not celebrate all year long. 

To see a slideshow of the University Union’s eleventh annual Phlagleblast event go to: http://www.statehornet.com/multimedia/slideshow-university-union-shows-its-wild-side-in-annual-phlagleblast-event-1.1602279