Photo by Steven Mynott
Written by Steven Mynott
In the fourth and final chapter of this year’s Is CI Haunted? series, we have five more ghost stories that were shared with us on campus. If you have not already, check out the first three. Click here for part one, click here for part two and click here for part three.
The voice in Grand Salon
Grand Salon
Photo by Dani Ramirez
Lilah Skerrett was setting up for the Ebony Ball with three or four other people from the Black Cultural Center in Grand Salon at around 1 p.m on Feb. 13, the Friday before Valentine’s Day. She and one of her friends were setting up decorations in the corner of the room while the rest of the group was setting up balloons on the stage.
While they were working on decorations in the corner of the room, Skerrett and her friend heard a voice say her name, “Lilah.” They both turned their heads at the same time towards the direction where they heard the voice. At this point, neither of them were thinking this was anything paranormal.
Skerrett’s first instinct was to call over to the group of people setting up decorations on the stage, “Hey guys, what’s up?”
This only led to confusion “What? Like, what are you talking about?” said her friends from the stage. “Like, we didn’t hear anything. We didn’t say your name.”
Skerrett and her friend could not figure out what to make of this. Were their other friends just playing a prank? Regardless, they both decided to ignore it and get back to work.
Less than five minutes later, Skerrett and her friend heard the same voice again, “Lilah.” They both turned towards the group on the stage again and asked each other, “What the hell is going on?” It was immediately clear that no one in the room was saying her name. Everyone was hard at work setting up for the event that was due to start later that day, and none of them were the type to play pranks.
To this day, the voice that they heard in Grand Salon remains unexplained. When Skerrett was first applying to be a student at CI, she had no idea about any of the history of campus or that it used to be a mental hospital. But as she toured the school and learned more about its history, it was never offputting to her. She said that she has always been interested in the macabre and the occult. “I just feel like it’s interesting,” said Skerrett. “I feel like it’s a cool, unique piece of history.”
A friend in the library
Broome Library children’s section
Photo by Dani Ramirez
This next story comes from Gabi Miramontes, a senior early childhood studies major, and her 6-year-old son, Mateo. This happened about three years ago, when Mateo was 3 years old.
Miramontes was browsing for a children’s book in the children’s section of the John Spoor Broome Library while 3-year-old Mateo was playing by himself. She said that she felt comfortable enough to let him play on his own while she roamed around the children’s section. But while she was browsing, she heard Mateo laughing and talking to another child, saying things like, “My turn!” and, “You’re next”
But when she went to check on him, there was no one there with him. She asked him, “Mateo, who are you talking to?”
“My friend!” Mateo replied.
“Where’s your friend?” asked Miramontes.
“He’s by himself,” Mateo replied.
“Okay,” she asked. “Can I meet him?”
“Oh,” he replied. “He’s gone.”
Miramontes paused while recounting the story, then said, “It’s time to go!”
Mateo told the story to The CI View from his point of view, “I remember when we were in the library. I was playing, and then, I just saw, like, a ghost friend, so I wanted to play with him. And then, so, I started playing with him.” He and his new ghost friend were playing The Floor is Lava on the library furniture. All Mateo remembers about his ghost friend is that he was wearing a jacket.
Mateo Miramontes at age 3 in front of John Spoor Broome Library
Photo provided by Gabi Miramontes
When Mateo was asked if he thought his new friend was real or not, he said, “He looked AI, but he started talking, all like, ‘Oh, he’s real.’” He was not scared by the incident. When asked, he simply replied, “No, I was just having fun.”
For her part, Miramontes said, “It’s comforting, I guess, to know that the children here feel safe enough to approach us and, you know, even play with the kids. There’s not many kids on campus. But the parent students here that are able to bring their kids, I think it’s wonderful that our spirit children here on campus are able to engage with them.”
Echoes in Student Union
Student Leadership and Involvement desk
Photo by Steven Mynott
This next story is from Olivia Taksony, freshman anthropology major, and Isabelle Bravo, freshman business major, both of whom work at the Student Leadership and Involvement desk in the Student Union Building. Their desks sit back-to-back from one another, and they both had experiences in the same area on the same day.
Taksony was sitting at the desk in the morning, turning on music from her computer. But as soon as the music started playing, she heard a man’s voice from directly behind her ask, “What are you watching?” When she turned around, there was nobody behind her desk. In fact, there was nobody in the entire office.
A couple of hours later Bravo was sitting at the desk when she felt like she could sense someone standing behind her. At first she thought it was Taksony, standing directly over her. She turned around fully expecting to see her standing on her desk looking down at her. But of course, there was nobody there.
When asked how they felt about being students at a haunted university, Taksony paused to think about what she was going to say, but Bravo interrupted her, “I almost peed my pants,” Bravo said. “I’m not even going to lie. Like, genuinely, I almost peed.”
Taksony felt differently, “I honestly, I kind of like being a student at a haunted university. That’s, like, one of the main reasons I chose Channel Islands because I heard the rumors that it was haunted and I thought that was cool,” she said. “So I think it’s, like, double cool that my office is haunted, and at least, you know, now I won’t be lonely when I’m working at night.”
Bravo disagreed on that last point, “Oh no,” she said. “I’d rather be lonely. That was, like, chills up my spine.”
The vacant lobby
Check out desk in Broome Library
Photo by Dani Ramirez
This next story was submitted to The CI View by a Broome Library worker who wished to remain anonymous. We are including it here, in its entirety, as it was submitted to us.
“I was working behind the circulation desk in the library when this happened in 2025. A student had just handed me a book to return to the reserves shelf. I thanked them, watched them walk out the front door, and noticed the lobby was completely empty—no one else needed help. So I turned to reshelve the book.
“Almost immediately after turning away from the lobby, I suddenly heard the sharp ding of the bell sitting on the front desk.
“It startled me. I remember thinking, wow, I didn’t realize someone was right there…maybe they came in quickly from the reading room or from outside…but I hadn’t heard any doors open or close or footsteps…regardless, without turning around, I called out, “I’ll be right with you!”
“When I turned around, probably 5 seconds after the ding, no one was there.
“No one walking up or down the stairs.
“No one coming through the doors.
“No one outside.
“No one in the lobby.
“No one standing at the front desk.
“The only other person nearby was my colleague, who had just walked through the glass doors into the reading room. Hearing the bell, she turned around too, clearly expecting to see someone waiting at the desk. Instead, she froze when she realized it was empty.
“She slowly walked back toward me while I stared at the bell, trying to figure out how it could have rung. I remember her asking, “did you ring the bell?” and me shaking my head in silence.
“Then the chills hit.
“That bell doesn’t just make noise on its own, it’s the kind you have to physically press down to hear it ring. We conducted experiments to try to get the bell to ring, but it never did unless pushed by a person.
“I’ve been here since 2017 and have experienced a few strange moments on campus, but this one has stayed with me…partly because I was so close to the interaction, and partly because I was completely dumbfounded and confused.
“When it comes to the spirits on campus, my philosophy is simple: lead with respect and kindness. Don’t antagonize them, and don’t purposely seek them out. If they choose to share their space with you, hold your ground and have confidence that you are allowed to be here too. The spirits have never caused any harm to me, in the library, or on campus, it has mostly been playful interactions. That being said, never push beyond your limits, and always leave any situation that feels uncomfortable.
“When I walk into a space on campus and feel the energy shift, I take a deep breath and acknowledge that I am not alone. I recognize that I might be in the presence of a former patient, employee, or an ancestor from the Chumash nation. This land has been here much longer than we have, and it’s important to remember who came before us and that spirits come from all walks and eras of life. For guidance and protection, I carry these stones with me: Obsidian to shield against negative energy, Howlite to keep my mind calm and clear, and Abalone shell to remind me to keep my heart open and balanced.”
Empty halls, open doors
For the final story, I, Steven Mynott, senior English major and executive editor for The CI View, want to share an experience that I had in Bell Tower last October. I was walking down the second floor hallway on the eastern side of the building, going from the outdoor balcony area towards a door at the other end of the hallway where the stairwell is. Classes were in session and I could see classrooms full of people in the area, but I was the only person out in the hall at the time.
I was about halfway down the hallway when I realized that I needed something out of my backpack. I stopped and moved over to the side of the hallway and started fishing through my backpack. To my right was the glass door that led out to the second floor patio, and to my left was the solid stairwell door with a small square window in it.
As I was looking through my bag, I heard the glass door to my right open. When I glanced over, the door all the way open and started to swing back shut. There was still no one in the hallway with me, and when I looked through the glass door, there were no people outside either.
Immediately I knew that something was off. It was not a windy day, but even if it was, that door was heavy and located in an area that was sheltered from the wind in most directions. In order to swing the door open as far as it did, an unusually strong gust of wind would have had to hit it from the perfect angle.
While I was standing there trying to make sense of what I just saw, the stairwell door on the opposite side of the hallway swung open and closed in exactly the same way, and still, there was no one around.
I was already heading in that direction, so I put my backpack back on and fast-walked to the stairwell door to investigate. I was fast enough so that if someone had walked through the door on the other side, I would have seen them by the time I got there. But of course, when I opened the door, no one was there.
I still do not know what I witnessed that day. Was it a ghost walking from one end of the hallway to the other?
Since this is my final edition of “Is CI Haunted” before I graduate next week, I just want to thank everyone who made the series possible. First and foremost, thank you to everyone who submitted their ghost stories. It was my pleasure to speak with each of you and share your stories. Thank you to all of the former patients, doctors, nurses and staff of Camarillo State Mental Hospital for contributing to this campus’ rich history. Your legacy will always live on at CI. Thank you to The CI View team for all your support and sharing my fascination with the spirits of CI. And thank you to all of you for reading.
