Paranormal events have students fearing for security

Missing toothbrushes, doors left ajar, disturbing noises in the night. No, it’s not a crazed sociopath some California State University, Long Beach students are fearing, it’s the supernatural.

Many dorm residents have reported eerie happenings inside their rooms and hallways on campus. Most cite the Indian burial grounds as their main reason for worry. Those closest to the grounds, mainly parkside building G, are fully aware of the sacred grounds and what they mean.

The 22-acre chunk of land that has been left untouched by school officials for decades is actually known as Puvunga, the ancient burial land for a Gabrielino tribe. Since the appointment of President F. King Alexander at the college, disputes over the land have been more frequent. Some students are under the impression that the spats over the land is causing the paranormal events to occur more often.

“Lots of stuff in my room would move spontaneously, and I’m not talking about little stuff either,” said pre-nursing major Christine Camarda. “Huge bottles of shampoo flung themselves off the top shelves of our wall more than once.”

Camarda’s suitemate also had odd things occur inside her dorm as well. Brianne Rokey said she came in to her room with a basket of laundry, dumped it all onto her bed and left it there before going out for a few hours. “When I came back, things were all folded. I know I didn’t fold them, and my roommate hadn’t been back yet, for a while I thought it was a joke,” she said.

These occurrences do not stop at mere cases of objects being misplaced, they escalate to full-on visions of people. On student claims she saw an unknown man exit her room as she woke in the early morning hours.

“I had to get up for skating and leave at four in the morning everyday, and one time I glanced up toward my window as I got in the car,” said psychology student Brittany Cisneros. “When I looked I saw a man at my door, it scared me so bad that I looked away.” Cisneros said that when she looked back for the figure a split-second later, there was nothing there.

These incidents may end up lending themselves to crime in the dorm buildings closest to the grounds. Several students were locked out of their rooms or had their doors spontaneously open, though they were locked.

“I was walking in the hallway toward my room one time and the double doors near the common room just slammed shut,” said freshman Andrea Capili. “Both of them just closed right in front of me, and there was no one there.”

Cisneros not only was fearful of the man that she thought was inside her dorm, but also that someone could easily get into her room after some of the events happened. At one point, her door opened completely on its own.

“I was sitting on my bed, and my door was closed and locked when I heard the keycard slide,” said Cisneros. “When it slowly opened I leaned my head out to see if it was my roommate, but nobody was there. Not in the hallway, not the bathroom, nothing.” After that day, she said she was scared that whatever being was opening her door would leave it open and someone would come in and steal from her.

Whatever these events may be, paranormal or coincidence, they are not helping the accessibility for criminal activity at the dorms here on campus.