The club, composed of about thirty students, split into several groups to begin the hunt.

The Paranormal Society has built a strong sense of community within its organization. Though be it large, their club dynamic is that of close friends. Throughout the hunt, hardly a moment went by without a member cracking a joke.

To member and social relations and policy junior Evan Thomas, the main appeal of the club is the fun atmosphere. 

“I wanted something to do socially and have fun with," Thomas said. "It’s hard to have fun in these other clubs that are very hardcore, very intense, very passionate about their things, there’s nothing wrong with that. So coming here was like, I could still get that we have a purpose, we have a goal we are trying to achieve ... have some fun.”  

The club started its hunt in North Neighborhood, which is known for being home to the oldest residence halls on campus – the ideal location to seek out a glimpse of corporeal beings. 

Club members carried walkie-talkies to communicate their findings with the other groups. Occasionally, groups changed locations if they noticed activity elsewhere. 

Sleepy Hollow, the area between the Beaumont tower and the practice music building, was investigated first. According to the large green sign that rests at the top of the land, there has been evidence of human habitation on the land dating back to 1000-3000 B.C. Members of the club said it is rumored that the ghosts of former students and faculty members can be seen roaming the area, searching for buildings that no longer exist.

One of the pieces of equipment used is called a spirit box, which features a range of lights from green to red. When a spirit "spikes" the machine, the box lights up in the orange to red scale. It is a magnetic field detector, which allows phones and other electronic devices to make the machine light, despite no paranormal activity being present. Everyone switched their phones to airplane mode and waited in anticipation for the spirit box to light up. 

Not every member of The Paranormal Society even believes in the idea of ghosts. Group member and political science pre-law junior Matthew Khalaf, for example, does not. 

“I'm really interested in the paranormal stuff. I don’t believe in it, but it's always been fascinating to me, it's always been up my alley," Khalaf said. "It’s an interesting thing to learn about, kind of like other religions.”

No spirits were haunting Sleepy Hollow that evening, at least not any who wanted to make their presence known to the club. They proceeded to the next location, the W.J. Beal Botanical Gardens, which holds a spooky history.

William James Beal, the namesake of the gardens, collected and stored seeds in a building that burnt down on the grounds. As legend has it, he allegedly made students run back into the building to save the seeds from the fire. Their ghosts are said to still haunt the premises. 

They walked around the area until they reached a large tree. The spirit box spiked to orange. The group paused in anticipation as they waited to see if the machine would spike again. It did, pointed at the same area of the tree.

For some members, the draw of The Paranormal Society is the fulfillment of their childhood dreams.

“When I was younger I always wanted to be a ghost hunter or a crypted zoologist when I grew up, and obviously now that I am older I know those aren’t legitimate career paths that I can go on," Grace MacLaren said. "But with the club it’s sort of a glimpse into a world where that could've been a legitimate career path and it's a lot of fun.”

With some evidence of paranormal activity, the club concluded its investigation by gathering at the Beaumont Tower. As the tower chimed, the groups disbanded.