Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

Slice of Life: The clown of Phillips Hall

By Elizabeth Hansen, Assistant Culture Editor

Michaela Hensley was walking across the street to Phillips Hall for dance practice when she received the text.

"Clowns are at the rec!"

She sprinted. The clowns were on the loose, and she wasn't taking any chances. Clowns terrified her.

Once in Phillips, the captains locked the doors. It was Monday, day two of the clown scare, and they needed to prepare for the worst.

As she practiced, every sound made her twitch.

What if the clowns broke into Phillips?

She kept dancing until it was time for a water break. She checked her phone.

Her worst thoughts were confirmed.

The multiple texts and GroupMe messages on Michaela's phone all warned her of clowns.

"A clown is outside Phillips!"

"Clown's between Phillips and the rec!"

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

"Phillips is on lockdown!"

As more and more messages about Phillips being on lockdown buzzed on the whole team's phones, the captains decided to pause practice. The team sat in a corner and chatted about what they would do if a clown really broke into Phillips. While some thought of calling the football team to come protect them, Michaela called her mom.

"Kick him in the nuts!" her mom said.

Michaela didn't even dare look out the window. What if a clown was staring back?

She heard a door open out in the hallway. She jumped. Someone else was in Phillips.

"We locked the doors, there's no way," she tried to tell herself. But she still couldn't shake the sound she heard.

Practice ended early and she got a ride back to her dorm -- right across the street.

She ran into her room and started telling her roommate about the clown scare.

"I swear someone was in Phillips!"

Her roommate laughed.

"That was me. We were clown hunting."