When she learned ever-warming waters were causing ice sheets in the Arctic to break off into the open sea, carrying polar bears away from food sources — threatening to kill off the polar bear population — Bowdoin College senior Ruth Morrison decided to take action.
Morrison has more than a passing attachment to the polar bear: The furry, white creature has been Bowdoin’s mascot since 1913, when the school selected it to symbolically recognize three Bowdoin alums’ explorations in the Arctic.
Capitalizing on the significance of the polar bear to the campus, Morrison organized a group to focus on global warming by highlighting the plight of the polar bear, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services recently recommended be placed on the endangered species list.
“A lot of students don’t identify with politics, whereas the polar bear is a very iconic symbol,” she said. “It can demonstrate the negative effects of global warming and really bring it home, taking it out of politics and making it a personal thing.”
The group, Bowdoin Polar Bears Against Global Warming, has covered the campus with banners and statues of the college’s mascot. Signs reading, “What if I were extinct?” were placed on the statues’ backs.
Since the group’s campaign around campus started, many students have participated to help or signed a petition the group circulated one day last week, Morrison said.
“We have somewhere close to 400 signatures, and with a campus community of 1,600 students, that’s a lot,” she said.
Morrison said the tactic of using the school mascot is more effective than making posters or thrusting flyers at passersby.
“People have busy schedules and don’t always want to hear your cause,” she said.
Boston University College of Communication freshman Michelle Ellsworth’s school spirit inspired her to audition to be Rhett, BU’s mascot, at sporting events. Ellsworth said Morrison’s campaign would be effective because mascots serve as a university-wide rallying point.
“It is a great chance to raise awareness,” Ellsworth said.
COM sophomore Chris Jordan, member of the Dog Pound, BU’s cheering section at games, said Morrison’s campaign effectively drew attention to a serious issue.
“[BU] students might do something similar to [Bowdoin’s], rallying behind our mascot for a cause, but it’s such an odd possibility that I can’t really say,” he said.
However, he said he could not imagine Rhett ever disappearing and could not speculate what cause BU’s growling terrier could raise awareness of.
“For a lot of students, their school’s mascot is a deeply held symbol of everything their school stands for,” he said.