As you’re making your way to class, a skittering can be heard around the campus. Skitter, skitter above your head in the trees. Skitter, skitter rushing right behind you on the sidewalk. Whirling your head around, you catch a glimpse of a brown blur. Suddenly the skitters can be heard from the trashcan you’re about to throw your apple rind away in. Pausing, hand frozen in place above the bin, your eyes go wide as this week’s Campus Cutie pops his head out in a curious display of adorable playfulness. In a flash, the rind is out of your hand and in the paws of Stevie the Squirrel.
Her Campus (HC): Stevie, we see you and your pals all around campus, but we don’t really know you yet. Tell us a little about yourself.
Stevie Squirrel (SS): Well many people think that once they know one squirrel, they know them all. BUT DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE OVER 265 SPECIES OF SQUIRRELS WORLDWIDE?! *sniff* My pals and I are Eastern Gray Squirrels, commonly found in the eastern parts of the U.S. and Canada.
HC: Okay Stevie. We’ll be sure not to make that mistake again. So if you like being anywhere in the eastern parts, why did you pick FSU to call home?
SS: Actually, we started out near Gainesville, but we figured WHY BE SAD SQUIRRELS WHEN WE COULD BE CHAMPION SQUIRRELS?! *sniff* Also, the campus is beautiful, and the bricks are easy to scale when we need to make a speedy get-away!
HC: Where’s you favorite campus hangout?
SS: Definitely Landis. While you guys like to catch some rays and play Frisbee on Landis Green, we like to collect acorns in our free-time. WE ALSO ENJOY SCARING PEOPLE!! *sniff* There’s nothing better than popping up in front of an unsuspecting victim and laughing when they get scared of a little rodent.
HC: What is your favorite kind of food to come across?
SS: While I love when students feed us, it’s really not a good idea to do so. If you feed us too much, we might get too friendly and mistake a finger for a tasty little treat. But when we go pawing (pun intended) through your leftovers, APPLES ARE OUR FAVORITE TREATS EVER! *sniff* We also enjoy stuffing our cheeks with acorns. In fact, did you know that we have a crazy good sense of spatial awareness and can remember where we bury hundreds of nuts? We do occasionally miss a few however, but that’s okay because they later become trees!
HC: We all know you’re constantly running here and there, so where can we catch up on what you’re up to?
SS: I have a Twitter actually! The handle is @FSUSquirrels. MY PALS AND I TELL YOU ALL ABOUT OUR FUZZY LIVES! *sniff* We also have a Facebook, aptly named “FSU Squirrels.” Be sure to check us out for exclusive squirrelly content.
HC: Anything you would like to add?
SS: Yes! I don’t want to knock the socks off of all of you ladies, but I have been known to enjoy long moonlit walks to the Leach.