Something–or someone–lives in the Sturges’ bathrooms. The minute you step into that place, you’re instantly transported to the dormitories of some Victorian-era house for wayward orphans. It’s an impossibility that it’s not haunted by some sort of spirit. And we at Her Campus have many theories on what exactly that spirit is.
Jessica Bansbach
There’s a Japanese urban legend about a girl named Hanako-san who, depending on the version of the story you hear, either died in a World War II bombing, at the hands of a murderous parent, or because of a stranger’s psychotic tendencies. However Hanako met her end, there’s one thing that stays the same—she chooses to spend her afterlife living in bathrooms. She’s essentially Japan’s Bloody Mary, down to her summoning—knocking three times on the bathroom door and saying “are you there, Hanako-san?”, if you’re interested in calling upon the soul of a ghost child. Anyway, I’m not entirely unconvinced that Sturges’ bathrooms aren’t Hanako’s summer homes. Since door-knocking is a very important step in her summoning, the double doors you have to enter to get into the bathrooms seems like her perfect set-up, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Sturges hasn’t been renovated since the end of the World Wars. I guess there’s only one way to find out if she’s really there … are you there, Hanako-san? Are you there, Hanako-san? Are you there, Hana—
Hannah Fahy
It’s the spirit of hope that is quickly squashed out of all Geneseo freshmen that haunts those bathrooms.
Kayla Glennon
I am in Sturges often, mostly because of clubs. I am very stupid and don’t always go to the bathroom or bring water before coming. Being here for hours sometimes, I have no other choice but to use the Sturges bathroom and/or drink from the water fountains. I imagine the two as being linked; the entity that makes the water terrible also taunts you in the bathroom. I don’t have a name for this creature, but I know they are watching.
Victoria Cooke
Any time that I enter any of the bathrooms in Sturges, I am immediately greeted by the ghost of a young girl named Agatha who was most definitely killed by another young ghost girl who inhabits the bathroom. Regardless, the spirit feels feminine and child-like. Maybe the first girl died from drinking lead water from the fountain in the hall. I think I’m probably next. One time, I drank the Sturges water fountain and it tasted like metal. Two days later they ripped the fountain from the wall and covered it in caution tape. I probably lost IQ points. I hope when they renovate Sturges, Agatha and her nameless aggressor are put to rest.
Emma Marino
I’ve only been to Sturges bathroom once and plan to avoid it at all costs. The mirror, the old wood and just the general vibe all seem like a timeless chamber that an indie horror movie would be filmed in.
Nicole Callahan
When the door to a bathroom stall in Sturges hall slams shut, the sound is like the slamming of a Bible. When you go to lock the door it sounds like the pained gasp of an old man. Surrounded by the wood walls of a stall, you see the mysterious substances that remain in the toilet after you flush, and you begin to feel the spirit of a very particular young woman soar into your body. You know at once that she wears a beige turtleneck, an argyle skirt, knee-high socks and loafers. The two of you do your business quickly and flush with your shoe. You rush to the sink and turn on both faucets. You splash your face with the cold water and try to steady your hands by lighting a cigarette. It is 1968. You should go back to class, you know you should. The first inhale calms you but you still feel the dread rising in your stomach at the news you just got. It’s only September. Will you be able to finish school? Will you have to drop out as you just begin your senior year? You dry your hands, throw the paper towel in the trash and look to the window. Outside, it’s a nice, crisp autumn day. You are filled with dread. Eight months from now it will be April. Eight months from now, you will be a mother. Stupid girl, stupid girl, you should have paid attention to your mother when she talked about the aspirin in between your knees. Will you be able to manage alone? It doesn’t matter now if you could have made it or not; that same day you are going to get hit by a truck driver on hour 36 of a 48-hour shift. You’re not ever going to leave this bathroom again. When the door to a bathroom stall in Sturges hall slams shut, the sound is like the slamming of a Bible. You have a new guest.
Megan Kelly
I think the beings haunting the Sturges Bathroom are the spirits of all the subpar Creepypastas I read in middle school. When I step foot into the bathrooms, I recall stories of characters like “Jeff the Killer”, “Abandoned by Disney”, and “Laughing Jack”. That’s not to say I don’t think Creepypastas are scary, but many of them aren’t the best. Sturges is scary, but not in a way that I worry about my own safety. It’s frightening in a way that makes me recall the times I still thought the phrase “hyper-realistic eyes” was creative.
Sydney Julien
My skin has never not crawled upon walking into the Sturges bathroom. The building was built in 1938 and I doubt the bathroom has been renovated since. If there is a spirit in there it’s definitely that of a girl who died in the 1950s or 60s. She’s ashamed, afraid to face her family. College is not going as planned. I don’t know why I think that. It’s just the energy I get from that room.
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