Meet Stanley the squirrel: UCLA’s new mascot

Love them or hate them, seeing squirrels everywhere is a big aspect of the UCLA experience. It seems like a day can’t go by where you don’t come across one of these animals that call our beautiful campus home.

Personally, I enjoy seeing a squirrel or two on my daily walk to class, but I wouldn’t necessarily call these frequent encounters the highlights of my day. I would rather say that I appreciate the certain feel of the outdoors that they bring to our urban campus.

However, maybe not everyone at UCLA feels the same way about these animals. My positive experience coexisting with these squirrels could be a very different one from that of my peers.

While there aren’t any brown bears roaming around campus (at least that I know of), I’ve never heard anyone complain about having an intimidating animal like the Bruin as our mascot, and I have no complaints either. In fact, I have nothing against Joe Bruin, but what if a seemingly harmless animal like the squirrel replaced our beloved bear?

I would like to take this time to introduce the “new” UCLA mascot: Stanley the Squirrel. Because I am clearly so curious about students’ opinions on our small neighbors, I decided to go around campus asking people about a petition circulating around UCLA. This mysterious petition that no one seems to have heard about, mostly because I made it up, is about changing our mascot from Joe Bruin to the less intimidating Stanley.

Students were first asked about their current opinion on UCLA’s squirrels before being informed that only 150 signatures are needed until the UC Board of Regents can finally take a vote on Stanley’s potential rise to fame. Here is what some students had to say:

Junior Miriam Juarez said, “It wouldn’t be UCLA without the squirrels. When I see them they’re always doing something weird and entertaining.”

Not all students find these animals to be as entertaining as Juarez, and instead have a more indifferent opinion. Sophomore Stephanie Martinez said, “I’m indifferent to the squirrels. At first I was like, ‘Wow. They get so close. Cool’, and now I don’t even care anymore. They are just a part of life.”

“They’re just animals to be honest,” said junior Krystal Lam, “I guess you could say I’m neutral.”

My experience asking students for their opinions on Joe and Josie Bruin proved that people seem to really like the famous duo. The responses I received showed that for students, for various reasons, don’t want to see these two go anywhere anytime soon.

“I like the Bruin. The bear is a powerful symbol, and I wouldn’t necessarily consider it to be violent,” said junior Marco Padilla.

Other students, like freshman Will Ward, felt that the Bruin is an ideal mascot for a university like UCLA that has a well-known athletic program.

“I think it’s appropriate to have a mascot that is ‘intimidating’”, said Ward. “It serves the purpose of depicting the sports teams as a strong and difficult challenge for opposing teams.”

Students also stood by Joe and Josie because of their long history representing our school, and they can’t seem to see any other animal as UCLA’s image.

“Joe and Josie Bruin are tradition! They might be somewhat intimidating but they’re cute bears at least,” said Juarez.

The reactions to this question were both interesting and entertaining as students struggled to come to terms with the idea. There appeared to be a general consensus amongst the interviewed students, however responses came from different angles.

For example, some students were mostly concerned over how the squirrel would resonate with people.

“I don’t like the idea of having a squirrel as our mascot,” said Padilla. “I just feel like they’re not genuinely liked by people. I think of rabies whenever I see them.”

Juarez added, “Squirrels are cute, but I don’t like the idea of them representing our community. Maybe if the squirrel had a different name.” 

Some students were more concerned over the impact it would have on UCLA’s branding.

Martinez said, “I think it’s a stupid idea. The squirrel. Really? Also, what am I going to do with the hundreds of dollars worth of stuff I have with this bear on it?”

“In a way, the Bruin is a part of our brand,” said Lam. “We wouldn’t be the UCLA I know without it. It’s iconic.”

Besides merchandise, the change of mascot would start a new chapter at UCLA because of the Bruin’s significance in our school’s history.

Ward said, “The image of the Bruin holds a lot of historical and sentimental value to UCLA. UCLA has more NCAA championships than any other college in the nation, and all the titles were won under the title of a “Bruin”. The legacy of the school is forever tied to the mascot, and it would be a huge mistake to make the change. “

For various reasons, the Bruin is perfect for UCLA. Like our academics and athletics, this animal possesses a strong presence and demands respect. More importantly, I am proud to be a Bruin and wouldn’t want to call myself anything else.

It appears that although opinions of the squirrels on this campus vary from indifferent to positive, they don’t seem to be liked enough to become more than just part of our campus’ aesthetic.

In conclusion, I hope the squirrels continue to provide both students and faculty alike with endless amusement, mostly because I don’t think my walks to class would be complete without them.

Sorry Stanley, but it looks like Joe and Josie are here to stay.