Everyone loves a good ghost story, and with a campus as old as John Carroll University, it’s no surprise that students have their own stories and experiences to share. Incoming freshman might find this story particularly interesting, as it takes places in one of the possibilities for their housing. So sit back, grab some popcorn, and listen as I tell you the story of the Pacelli Hall ghost.
Over the past few months I have lived here, I have heard my fair share of stories about the ghost on the third floor of Pacelli, and I have even had a few experiences myself. Rumor has it that this ghost, who’s name we are still discussing, is a college-aged girl. One of the residents of P3 claims that she has personally seen our friend, and swears that she wears a white cable-knit sweater. We have no doubts that she is a friendly ghost, I mean she wears a warm and cozy sweater, who can be evil while wearing that? Don’t worry, all experiences involving her have just been subtle hints and nothing catastrophic has happened. My friends and I have named our ghostly friend Olivia, but other residents have given her alternative names. So now that we know what “Olivia” looks like and that she is friendly, let’s discuss people’s experiences.
My personal experience happened early first semester while I was in the bathroom. I was washing my hands alone in the bathroom and the faucet next to me turned on. See I told you, she does nothing too scary!
My friend Maddy has had a couple of run-ins with Olivia. She was the one who gave her this name, and her roommate was the one who gave us the description of her clothing. We are still unsure of whether or not this first occurrence is something paranormal. One morning, Maddy and her roommate woke up with all of their towels and robes that were hanging on command strips on the ground. Sure, it could have been a breeze that blew them down, but they say their window was closed, and nothing else hanging up had fallen. Secondly, Maddy told me that one day her fan was sitting on her window sill blowing on the highest speed until it randomly unplugged and “flew” across the room. When she picked it up, the dial on the fan was turned to off. Something unplugging itself and flying across the room is definitely not normal, but how can we be so sure that it’s a ghost? It’s hard to say.
The last incident that I have heard about happened in the RA’s room. Supposedly, previous RA’s who have been in that particular room have experienced this same occurrence. Inside this room, the RA has a small sitting/common room and a bedroom that is connected by a door. She claims that multiple times the door separating them has been fully shut, but will randomly open on its own. A few other people say they have been in the room while this has happened as well.
Other than these few incidents, other residents claim that their doors in their rooms have randomly open and closed. Some say they feel a different kind of aura while walking in the T of the hall near the RA’s room. Of course, we have no concrete proof that Olivia exists and that she is causing all of this, but it is a fun little tale to tell friends. As long as she stays friendly, we welcome Olivia to become a member of the P3 fam!