Talking Stick - September/October 2012 - 11

Walking Dead Zone

As college and university campuses and residence halls seek to create community amongst a diverse student population, some institutions are beginning to find one source that many students rally around: zombies. Since 2005, the intensive tag game Humans vs. Zombies has been sweeping campuses across the country and has even gone global, expanding to all continents but Antarctica. The game, much like a zombie outbreak, begins with one “infected” human who must tag other humans who will turn into zombies. Humans carry foam dart blasters (the game owners are insistent to never call them “guns”) to stun zombies for 15 minutes so that the humans can make a quick getaway. Games may last hours or days and can cover much of campus with potentially hundreds of participants. Though a unifying force amongst students, the game has caused concerns on some campuses. In January 2012, North Carolina State University in Raleigh sent out campus alerts for reports of a man in possession of a gun on campus, only later to have the students identify themselves as playing Humans vs. Zombies. The concern about misidentifying the foam dart blasters as weapons coupled with concerns about campus disruption (i.e., the game going on in classroom buildings) and safety have caused some institutions to balk at the idea of the game coming to their campus. However, the creators of the game and student participants have sought to create partnerships with campus administrators to ensure that students are kept safe, campus policies are maintained, and the game can be a great success. First, the creators of the game insist that the moderators (the students who will be planning the games) approach campus administrators with a well thought out plan that includes a definition of boundaries, what equipment will be used, and what rules will be strictly enforced. Students should designate the game play area so that it is safe for participants. Additionally,
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some campuses have required the organizers to publicize when the event is occurring in order to prevent any false reports. Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, releases a campus-wide notice prior to the beginning of the game, outlining what the event entails, when it is occurring, what areas are off limits, and who to contact if there are concerns (which includes both campus security and the student/game moderator). Next, students are encouraged to offer alternatives to the foam dart blasters such as socks and marshmallows to alleviate concerns about the appearance of carrying actual weapons; or they are required to use foam dart blasters that are brightly colored with a blaze orange tip. Dan Stewart, police lieutenant at Ohio University in Athens, was quoted in the campus newspaper, The Post, in a story about the game coming to campus, noting that police “talk to the organizers on campus beforehand and we usually have things straightened out” in terms of boundaries and the use of brightly colored foam blasters. Other institutions, like Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, mandate that students write their names on each dart, to avoid having them litter the campus. “Humans vs. Zombies gives students a chance to interact in a fun way, in a safe and regulated environment,” says Assistant Director for Residence Life Chris Gregory at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “By overseeing the game from top to bottom, the students are able to work together to bring a largescale event to fruition.” At Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the library is kept open later than usual one Friday night each semester in order to host a large-scale game. Members from the Campus Life Office and library staff are around to help facilitate the game. The university’s Office of Community and External Relations covered this extracurricular activity involving the undead on campus back in March in an article written by Melissa McKeon; as librarian Hu Womack sees it, the game “meets students’ needs, and sometimes that doesn’t involve academics.” —Lance Watson

In the next Talking STick
Coming in the November + December issue: · A look at the latest technologies that help architects and campuses visualize designs. · Building a better understanding of the budget and reporting process. · Exploring new developments in sustainability practices.

september + october 2012

Talking Stick - September/October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - September/October 2012