Ghosts of Broncos Past

A glimpse of the spirits and specters haunting campusJohn FlynnTHE SANTA CLARAOctober 31, 2014[dropcap]S[/dropcap]anta Clara’s history is fraught with spookiness.It is no secret that the Mission Church is built over burial sites that were used before the era of Spanish colonialism. Because the Church has burnt down several times during Santa Clara’s history, the precise locations of some human remains are unknown.“Any school that’s been around as long as Santa Clara is going to have stories associated with it,” said Sheila Conway, public services coordinator of Archives and Special Collections.Mysterious sounds and occurrences in residence halls have been reported to the Housing Office throughout the years . Many claim it is a ghost named Buddy, who reportedly frequents McLaughlin-Walsh Hall.Sophomore Djenanway Se-Gahon has heard Buddy’s romps.“The first time I heard it I was kind of caught off-guard and a little scared, but then I was like, ‘it’s probably just the pipes,’” said Se-Gahon.Over the years, Buddy gained a reputation of being an amicable spirit.“You can hear him rolling marbles down the stairs and moving furniture in empty rooms,” said recent alumnus Tennyson W. Jones. “Freaky stuff, but they say Buddy is friendly and just wants to play.”Another ghostly visitor at McLaughlin-Walsh Hall is a young girl named Marie, who wanders the halls late at night.  “(She) has been reported by multiple people to the Housing Office over the last few years,” said Housing Office student employee Daniel Long.In addition to the duo, another well-documented ghost is the mysterious flute player, who can be heard composing his wispy melodies on still nights. Unnamed and impossible to locate, the troubadour has soothed many weary minds returning home with his ghostly tunes.Unsettling entities are not exclusive to the residence halls.The locked rose garden next to the Mission Church symbolizes the lost graves from the Spanish colonial era, but unmarked remains may be scattered anywhere from the Mission Gardens to the imposing wooden cross at the end of the Palm Drive.The lawn in front of Mayer Theatre has long been rumored to cover the burial mounds of the Ohlone people, but the rumor is unfounded. The lawn was previously a gymnasium for students to play sports. The small hills are merely for aesthetic purposes and not for concealing haunted graves.Human spirits, however, are not the only potential haunters of the Santa Clara campus. The Harrington Learning Commons is built upon the former site of a tannery, a place where animal skins are processed. During construction of the behemoth building, dozens of cattle skeletons were discovered.Students burning the midnight oil might be more likely to hear a spectral “moo” than a “boo.”Alas, it appears Santa Clara is not quite haunted. Instead, historical findings and unexplained phenomenon breed rumors that morph into the ghostly oral traditions told in the quiet hours of freshmen orientations.Conway was glad to set the record straight. “My position is to try to get people to understand the facts instead of perpetuating rumors, but the facts aren’t always as fun as the stories,” she said. Contact John Flynn at jfflynn@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4854.