Question: I had a friend that lived in Maricopa Residence Hall last year and she said there is a ghost that haunts the halls. I never experienced her; being a male I wasn't allowed in the confines without proper security screening, meaning I wasn't carrying a purse. Anyway, it would be cool to know where that mystery started and such. Fire away.
- Sam Richard, former UA student
Answer:
The desk assistants at Maricopa Hall keep a little portfolio about the Maricopa Hall ghost, a not altogether unseen presence in the halls since the "early 1900s."
I found a general summary of the legend, written on an old white card with black ink and an unsteady hand: "... She had many family problems and constant fights with her boyfriends. As this continued for many years her depression got the best of her and she committed suicide in the basement bathroom. Her presence is still seen throughout the hall to this day...
"She does not mean harm. She stays to protect the girls who live here. Do not be frightened."
This disclaimer hasn't really helped the superstitious ladies living in Maricopa, said Lana Y. Woshimura, graduate hall director.
"It doesn't help that the laundry room is in the basement," she said.
Frances Colunga, history sophomore and resident ghost hunter, told me last year that this ghost, whose supposed boyfriend used to live in Cochise Hall, is particular when it comes to men.
"If one of the girls has a boyfriend that hurts her, or if he's going to die, his picture won't be able to stand up. It'll either be facedown, or on the floor," she said.
So gentlemen, respect Maricopa's quiet hours, and don't get any ideas. I don't care who you are, but there can't be a whole lot of respect left for a guy who gets thrown down the stairs after hitting on a 17-year-old dead girl after hours in a ladies-only dorm. You might be featured in an article in the Wildcat, but that's it - you know what, forget everything I just said.
Anyway, Miss Maricopa is reported to have moved objects in locked rooms, and some objects have vanished outright, Colunga said.
Yoshimura remains skeptical.
"I've never seen anything here," she said. "Ever."
Yoshimura has been the director of Maricopa Hall for two years, and as far as she knows, "There's been no experiences, not even for the staff, who do rounds in the building by themselves," she said.
Not that she doesn't believe in otherworldly spirits, having lived in Hawaii.
If there are ghosts in Maricopa Hall, "Ghosts here are nothing like the ghosts there," Yoshimura said.
But when the lights dim in the hallways as quiet hours set in, the mind can trick you, make you see things that aren't there, or maybe, in your fear, your senses heighten. Maybe you can see, even touch the malevolent, jealous un-living things on The Other Side reaching out for you spitefully with cold wispy fingers.
But hey, most of us don't live in a haunted residence hall anyway. As for you faithful Maricopa Hall readers, hang in there.
Case closed.
- Investigation by Kris Cabulong, Campus Detective
If you've got a UA-related mystery or conspiracy, or if you are seeking legal compensation for lost sleep, e-mail me at catcalls@wildcat.arizona.edu! Try me! My lawyers are top-notch!