The pumpkin-carving contest at the Halloween party hosted by Phi Beta Lambda and University Housing on Monday night left

pumpkin guts and seeds splattered all over the floor of the University Village Community Center.

According to Ricky Sandoval, a resident assistant at University Village, the pumpkin-carving contest was the most popular event. At least 40-50 students showed up to the party throughout the evening.

“Well, I just came for the pumpkin carving,” Sandoval said, “because I haven’t done that since I was 4.”

The specific purpose of the party, according to Sandoval, is to help international students living on campus become familiar with American culture and traditions.

“A good 40 percent were international students, and that was our target audience,” said Sandoval, a double major in mathematics and manufacturing engineering. “Every table was full when the most people were here.”

Carving pumpkins wasn’t the only messy activity at the Halloween party; students also bobbed for apples, ate donuts off of strings, and participated in other traditionally American Halloween games and activities. There was also a costume contest, and prizes were given out to the winners of all the activities.

Feliciana Lopez, an English teaching major and resident assistant supervisor, helped organize the party. She was dressed up as a peacock.

“It’s kind of to expose our international students to American traditions like Halloween,” said Lopez, regarding the purpose of the Halloween party.

Lopez went on to say that a majority of the international students attending Weber State University are from Shanghai and live in Building 2 of University Village, which is referred to as the Global Village. The students who live in this building experience a reciprocal exposure to the different cultures.

“There are two international students and two American students so that they kind of get exposed to the culture on both parties,” Lopez said.

Themed parties are organized once a month to benefit international students. Sandoval said the November party will be a Thanksgiving service project and a dance that will double as a canned food drive.

“You pay cans and then you get into the dance,” Sandoval said. “And then those cans get donated to a shelter or a food bank.”