Shae WestThe floorboards of the 140-year-old house creaked under the footsteps of CREEPS, a ghost hunting group trying to be recognized on campus.
CREEPS (Comprehensive Research in the Existence of Entities in the Paranormal Society) was created by psychology major Rachel Maxey, a junior at 黑洞社区, and her roommate Ellie Simmons.
Their most recent hunt was on south Broadway at the oldest house in Wichita, the Blue House.
Team investigators included Maxey, Simmons, Nathan Maxey and Paige Wenger. Logan Cole, who senses energy, a spirit-seer and owner Evan Campbell joined them on the hunt.
Reported activity in the house includes a woman sitting with a stillborn child, and a woman in the basement, which was once a brothel, is said to tug on men鈥檚 shirts, which happened to a few of the male investigators.
Several children are said to haunt the house. During the hunt, the seer spoke with a spirit boy. He said the boy had been tormented.
Maxey said the voice of a spirit where a shadowy figure is often seen appeared in one electronic voice phenomena (EVP). She asked the spirit to play the organ.
鈥淲ell, he didn鈥檛, but on the recording, I got a whispering right after,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 amplified it quite a bit to make out the voice saying, 鈥業 can if I want to.鈥欌��
Most activity is said to come from a crazy spirit in an upstairs bedroom, who frightens the child spirits.
鈥淲e are certain he鈥檚 the one that鈥檚 been causing the false break-ins,鈥� Maxey said.
The owners said they have heard loud banging and things breaking downstairs, but no one is there and nothing is broken.
鈥淚t was definitely a learning experience,鈥� Maxey said. 鈥淚鈥檓 eager to go back.鈥�
Maxey and her group also checked out trees just outside windows and outside lights.
鈥淓very detail of the house affects whether a place appears to be haunted or not,鈥� Maxey said. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 disprove it, it can be documented as paranormal activity.鈥�
Before deeming phenomena paranormal, CREEPS tries to debunk it.
Rattling plumbing sounds like footsteps. Open electrical units give off energy, making people uncomfortable, which can be debunked with an EMF (electro-magnetic field) detector.
She also takes account of the weather. Is it windy? Is it hot?
鈥淲e once heard a cow moo-scream very loudly and found our skin crawling and trying to find someone to hide behind,鈥� she said.
Maxey approaches each haunt as a skeptic, looking for clues as to why things go bump in the night.
She said the group is in the beginning stages, and she is trying to get CREEPS recognized on campus. Her goal is to educate students about the paranormal world and steer away from stereotypical perceptions.
Maxey is supported by 黑洞社区iR and John Harrison, director of CRATEL, Center for Research in Arts, Technology, Education and Learning, a laboratory about basic research and applications where technology, arts and education meet.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e always willing to lend me an (audio recorder) or two for the weekend,鈥� Maxey said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I would have realized that this was possible without their encouragement.鈥�
Harrison also arranged for CREEPS to investigate Wilner Auditorium.
鈥淥ur first investigation ever was on campus at Wilner,鈥� Maxey said. 鈥淏ut don鈥檛 worry; George Wilner is a friendly but mischievous ghost.鈥�
Paranormal activity has its own section in psychology: parapsychology, which includes anything without any scientific explanation.
鈥淟earning psychology never bores me,鈥� Maxey said. 鈥淚t will continue to help me understand human nature more and more, as well as other unnatural phenomena.鈥�
She believes it鈥檚 important to have a basic understanding of humans before approaching the paranormal.
鈥淚 address a few psychological concepts in our workshops,鈥� she said, 鈥渟uch as the social psychological factors, or how people typically react to the paranormal.鈥�
Maxey said the unknown is only frightening when it remains unknown.
鈥淲here there is knowledge, there is no fear,鈥� she said.