Oglethorpe’s Unofficial [Ogle] Mascots

I’ll never forget the first time I spotted the “Ogle-turkey” on campus through my bewildered freshman eyes. “A turkey!?” I thought to myself. “He’s strutting around like he owns the place.”

ogleturkey

The elusive Ogle-turkey perched on the deck outside the student center.

I’m now about to enter my junior year and not much has changed. The other day I drove onto campus through the side gate, but not before yielding to the beloved Ogle-turkey who had insisted on crossing as though the stop sign didn’t apply to him. (I guess it didn’t!) I chuckled to myself and thought fondly about how this pretentious bird has evolved into an unofficial mascot for Oglethorpe. No one really knows for sure how we ended up with a stray wild turkey, but this affectionately regarded addition to our community has become legend and ingrained in the student sub-culture.

Or should I call it Ogle-culture? The practice of adding “Ogle” as a prefix to all things Oglethorpe has become a consistent language pattern among students, faculty, and staff. Here in our “Ogle-bubble” we even have our very own vernacular. In fact, the Ogle-turkey is not the only representative of our unconventional campus pets. The felines that live in the woods adjacent to campus are dubbed—what else, but—Ogle-kitties. For the most part they are rather un-socialized, quickly thwarting the domesticating efforts of the occasional student who tries to confine them to their dorm room.

Puppies on the Quad

Joscelyn Stein ’13 and Patrick Day ’13 enjoy quality time with these rescued pups.

But, if you’re that kid who misses their pet that badly, or even if you’re just an animal lover, there are always animal-friendly events as well. During last semester, students got a little “doggie therapy” when Animal Rescue Savers brought some adorable puppies to the campus quad. Animal Rescue Savers adopts dogs who are on death row at the pound. Even finals couldn’t get us down after a study break with these furry friends. Special thanks to Joscelyn Stein ’13, then Student Government Association President-elect,  for arranging that playdate with rescued Ogle-doggies!

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