The Haunting of CSU

Through the years, we've heard urban legends about ghosts on campus. We've yet to prove supernatural beings roam the halls, but there are enough stories to give you pause and wonder whether it's all true. Here's a look back at those spooky tales and sightings. Happy Halloween.

Ghosts of the past

My story is a retelling. Back in 2008, CSU Fire Prevention performed the fire alarm testing and servicing for the campus. The lead fire inspector was in the attic of Mather Mansion and had carefully made his way about halfway into the space somewhere above the lobby.

He said he "felt like I had to turn around." When he did turn and look back, the fire inspector said:

"I saw someone standing near the attic entry. I said, 'Hey, you can't be up here' and turned around to be sure of my footing. I realized then that the person was wearing clothes from an earlier time. I turned back around and he was gone. i yelled out, 'hey' to him in case he was still there and there was nothing."

This former fire inspector was such a "straight shooter" that to this day, I have no reason to doubt he saw an apparition that day in the attic of Mather Mansion.

- Former employee

Ghost Dance Party

It was late afternoon when I started walking back to Mather Mansion from an appointment across campus. The sun was hitting the old brick just right — that soft golden light that makes everything look a little more cinematic. From about a hundred feet away, I could see the full west face of the building.

As I walked, I found myself studying the windows, because that’s what I do — I notice details. Some shutters were open, some closed, a few half-tilted, creating this odd, beautiful pattern of dark and light. I was idly tracking my own windows — two for my office, one for the bathroom — when something caught my eye.

In the bathroom window, someone was… dancing. Not just moving — busting a move. There was a rhythm to it. A clear, human motion. I could see the back of their head, the shoulders, the bounce. It looked like someone having a great time at a private little dance party.

My first thought was: Who on earth is in my bathroom dancing?

I didn’t walk — I sprinted. Straight up the steps, through the heavy front door, down the hall to my office.

Empty.

No music. No movement. No one.

I asked my assistant, still catching my breath, “have you been in my bathroom dancing?”

She looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “No one’s been in your office,” she said.

But I know what I saw — a figure, alive with rhythm, framed perfectly in that old mansion window.

And that’s how I learned that at Mather Mansion, even the ghosts might have a good sense of groove.

-  Former CSU employee who worked in Mather Mansion