Halloween night marks a special occasion for the Lincoln Hall food service, which is sponsoring a series of festive dinnertime events under the direction of graduate intern Jane Thacker.

Thacker, currently working on her master’s degree in nutrition, is responsible for overseeing the project, which features contests in pumpkin carving, tombstone carving and costume excellence.

The dinner menu will feature a variety of foods in unique combinations, she said. Szechwan chicken, High-rise (Big Mac-style) hamburgers, soft pretzels, apple cider, sauteed carrots, zucchini and corn on the cob will be served from 4 to 6 p.m.

The festivities culminate 10 weeks of dietetic experience that were essential for Thacker to be certified as a registered dietician.

“I’ve loved it at Lincoln (Hall),” Thacker said. “I’m really going to miss it.”

Thacker said her next stop will be at Swedish-American Hospital in Rockford, where she will spend another five weeks completing a seperate phase of her internship training.

Thacker gives praise to the Lincoln Hall food service and its point system for buying food. “It really forces students to budget themselves,” she said.

The points are spent much the same way as currency, with each item on the a la carte menu having a specific cost that is subtracted from the student’s point total. Thacker said this eliminates the food waste that other residence halls often handle.

But Lincoln Hall diners aren’t the only ones getting seasonal treats.

Diana Brierton, student manager at Neptune Hall Food Service, said Neptune residents feasted on a “Harvest Dinner” on Thursday, which featured hot cider and roast beef carved to order. Despite the roast beef, it was like Thanksgiving.