The Jean Student Center, known as the “Stu” to many Anselmians, is home to a variety of campus academic and social resources that bring together the heart of community life at Saint Anselm College. On any given day, the building buzzes with the sound of students grabbing coffee between classes, hosting club meetings, or catching up with friends on the couches and booths. But on October 30, the energy in the Jean Student Center will take on a special festive twist. Offices throughout the building will collaborate to host the second annual “Trick-or-Treat World Tour,” an event organized by the Intercultural Center (ICC) that blends student engagement, cultural appreciation, and the spirit of Halloween.
Many marketing projects have filled my time since beginning my internship at the Intercultural Center (ICC). I’ve made instagram posts promoting athletic speeches, marketing for the events at Davison Hall, and I hate to admit, but you can probably bet that at least one of the flyers flooding your student emails everyday was made by me. Among all of these projects, though, my favorite by far has been helping design the promotional materials for the Trick-or-Treat World Tour, including the passports that students will use to navigate the event. Seeing this event come together has surely made my average Canva screentime worth it.
The event’s origin story is as charming as the event itself. It began last year when Haroula Tsolakidis, the ICC’s administrative assistant, received a sweet surprise from her father: chocolates brought back from a trip to Greece. A few weeks later a friend and colleague Siri Dabbi, Assistant Director of the ICC, brought her Indian pastries. In these two events, conversation sparked between the two about bringing international candies into the ICC for students to sample during the Halloween season. From this, the trick-or-treat world tour was born.
“When bringing a new event to campus, we wanted to make sure the other offices in the Jean Student Center were on board. All other offices readily agreed, and really brought the event to life. I think the staff may have had more fun than the students!” Haroula shared.
So how does it work? What is the trick-or-treat world tour? First, the Intercultural Center set a budget to spend on the candy, and assigned each office a country to assume for the event. From there, each office will be given an informational poster and candy that accompanies their assigned country. The candy, countries, and posters are organized by the ICC, however, other participating offices donate to the raffle that students can enter during the event. To name a few, the Harbor and Campus Ministry each give a hoodie, and SGA/CAB are donating four $25 gift cards.
Most of the candy for the event is purchased from local international food stores in Southern New Hampshire. Staff at the ICC visited Saigon Asian Market, New Hope African Market, and the Greek Pantry to source candy, and in doing so, support the greater Manchester community.
When students arrive in the student center, they will be given a “passport” with a chart of the countries/offices participating. Students are encouraged to visit all of the offices to receive stamps on their passports so they are able enter the raffle.
Last year, twelve offices participated, but three more have been added to the list for this year, totalling fifteen countries. According to Haroula, 140 passports were given out for the 2024 world tour, and 99 students turned in completed passports for raffle entry. However, most offices ran out of their candy, meaning there was likely a large group of students who participated without visiting all twelve countries. With more offices participating this year, there is anticipation for an even larger turn out.
Aside from promoting Halloween festivities and cultural education, the trick-or-treat tour aims to encourage students to explore offices and resources they might otherwise be unfamiliar with. Haroula commented, “When a student tries the Italian candy from Emily in The Office of Study Abroad, or the Japanese candy from Father Aloysius in SEAL (Student Engagement and Leadership), they are making a connection and finding another resource on campus available to them. That’s why it’s officially called, “The Jean Student Center Presents: The Trick or Treat World Tour”. The staff in the Jean Student Center also has a lot of international ties, whether through heritage, travel experiences, work, or even marriage. We can celebrate traditions of places that matter to staff members, while introducing students to new flavors.”