Cast member Lauren Piester continues our backstage look at the making of Uni's fall play, "The Diary of Anne Frank," which opens Thursday night. "As you might imagine, this is not a light play," Lauren writes. "It's intense, emotional, complex, and altogether draining." Read on for more as the cast gets closer to opening night.

There’s no better time of the year to watch scary movies than Halloween. In this second of two parts, Gargoyle film critic Kumars Salehi finishes his list of the top 10 films that will make you both think and stay up nights peering fearfully into the darkness.

Paul Dampier and seven of his senior classmates are spending Halloween night transforming the respectable Dampier suburban lawn into a grisly site of horror. Dampier has staged a Halloween frightfest every year since he was a subbie, and this one promises to be the best yet. Shivani Khanna narrates the twisted story behind this ghoulish tradition in our latest audio slideshow.

This year's cultural fair was an explosion of food, dancing, and, of course, culture. Reporters Anna Gooler and Katherine Allen documented the fair with photos and recordings. Take a look (and a listen) inside for their final product.

Eight Uni students made the journey up to Chicago on Saturday to take part in an anti-war demonstration that drew crowds from eight Midwestern states. The protest was one of 11 that occurred in major cities across the nation, all part of a mass anti-war movement. Sindha Agha was there, and she brought back this report.

Most of us watch scary movies, and there’s no better time of the year to do so than Halloween. In this first of two parts, Gargoyle film critic Kumars Salehi offers five of his top 10 picks for films that will make you both think and stay up nights peering fearfully into the darkness.

This year's fall play, "The Diary of Anne Frank," opens on Thursday night. But the cast members still have a ways to go before they'll be ready. Michelle Gao, who plays Miep, starts off the fall play diaries, which will run the rest of the week.

For the past five years, Uni student Paul Dampier's suburban lawn has mysteriously transformed into a haunted house every Halloween night. Read on to find out what Dampier and his crew have done since subbie year to plan and create this haunted lot, and take a sneak peak at their frighteningly good plans for this year — probably their last Halloween together.

If you turn on nearly any rap song you will hear it at least once: the N-word. Rachel Harmon explores the use of this word in hip-hop, what it says about our society, and why she views it as a negative trend.

[UPDATED with photos] With the help of seniors Jie Han, Beth Peregrine, and Emily Chu, the Japan booth at the Uni High Culture Fair was well equipped with sushi — for the first 10 minutes or so. But if you didn't get to try any, you can still make your own at home too! Learn the process in the latest installment of "Cooking with Jie."

"American Gangster" comes out this week, and Kumars Salehi can hardly contain himself. Erin Hayes, however, is underwhelmed by this week's CD releases, although the local concert scene is looking as good as ever. Gordon Ruan, meanwhile, has two words and a Roman numeral for video game fans: "Guitar Hero III."

Want to do something different this Halloween? How about trick-or-treating for canned goods instead of (or at least in addition to) candy? Senior Rachel Hurley and junior Rachel Hyman are looking for volunteers to join them on a Halloween expedition to help the Eastern Illinois Foodbank.

This year's Halloween dance had a Spanish flavor thanks to Uni's El Club, which hosted Carnaval in Uni Gym. The Latin-inspired event took place Saturday, Oct. 27, from 8 to 11 p.m. The gym was decorated with sparkling lights and bright colors, and scores of costume-clad students danced the night away. Check inside for our slideshow.

Uni will be collecting canned goods until Tuesday for the annual Food for Families Food Drive. Student Council hopes this year's drive raises more than in years past, but it will take contributions from the Uni community to make this drive a success. Read on to learn how you can help.

Today's New York Times carries an article about Needham High School in the Boston suburbs. It's a top-ranked school whose principal is leading the way in helping students deal with the stress of an overachieving culture.