Ghosts, ghouls and goblins, Ohio State’s Paranormal Club welcomes all

Jackson Hall
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:49:11 +0000
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Ohio State’s Paranormal Club took a field trip to the allegedly haunted Walhalla Road in September. Credit: Darienne Purtz

Halloween may be over, but for Ohio State’s Paranormal Club, spooky season never ends.

The Paranormal Club, which meets every other Thursday in the Enarson Classroom Building, is a student organization dedicated to researching and discussing the various paranormal phenomena in which its members express interest, Matthew Takacs, the club’s president, said. With its founding principles being friendship and acceptance, the club offers a place for students to pursue interests they might not otherwise get to explore, Takacs said.

“It’s a place where students can explore the paranormal or any supernatural event,” Takacs said. “Whether they believe or not, it’s something they can look into for themselves. I think it’s good to have places like this at a big school like OSU so that students can get involved in an interest that’s not as common or openly sponsored.”

Darienne Purtz, a fourth-year in environmental science and the club’s vice president, said one notable facet of the Paranormal Club is its exchange of campus ghost stories. She said a fan-favorite legend involves former President Rutherford B. Hayes haunting an on-campus building.

Oak Hodous, a first-year in computer science and engineering as well as a Paranormal Club member, said her time with the group has been extremely welcoming, and she encourages other students to join if for no other reason than the club’s accepting nature.

“We usually just talk about whatever paranormal activity someone brings up or read emails submitted to us of possible paranormal experiences,” Hodous said. “It’s really fun.”

But the club is much more than just a place to exchange terrifying tales, Purtz said. She said there is a research-based element to the group that many members particularly enjoy.

“I prefer the history aspect behind it and all the lore,” Purtz said. “So learning about how [a paranormal story] came to be.”

Despite a common misconception, Purtz said there is no requirement that a member must actually believe in ghosts in order to join the Paranormal Club.

“Activity-wise, we do research on the paranormal,” Purtz said. “If somebody brings up a new topic, we’ll do research on it. Whether the group believes or not, we still look into it.”

Both Takacs and Purtz consider themselves “skeptics,” meaning they approach every paranormal story with a healthy dose of doubt. Takacs said this skepticism is actually a part of the club he particularly values.

“I’m actually a big fan of the cryptic aspect of it,” Takacs said. “Things like Bigfoot, I think that things that could have some semblance to truth in them are really cool.”

Because both Takacs and Purtz will graduate in the spring and retire from their respective positions, Takacs said he hopes the Paranormal Club will stay strong and expand upon the duo’s legacy.

“I think our club has recently gotten to a point where it’s a formidable group with a solid member base,” Takacs said. “We’re sustainable. The big thing is once we graduate, I would like to see the club continue to grow.”

More information about Paranormal Club can be found on its Instagram page.