By Cindy Chen
SELINSGROVE — Benny the Riverhawk is the official mascot of Susquehanna University, but a much smaller bird looms just outside of his shadow.
Created by librarian Meg Garnet, Roger is a knitted kiwi bird that resides in the university library, Blough-Weis.
While tiny and seemingly insignificant, Roger elicits a curious amount of adoration from the student body. When prompted about her thoughts on the kiwi, Celia Lansing—a sophomore at Susquehanna—described him as “the beacon of light that shines through the darkness of the end of the semester.” First-year Lexie Kauffman echoed Lansing’s sentiments by deeming sitting next to Roger at work to be one of “the highlights of [her] fall semester.”
Perhaps even stranger than the fervor surrounding Roger is how it all came to be.
In response to an email about the library book scanner, Garnet’s coworker jokingly called her a kook. Somehow the word “kook” reminded her of “kiwi,” causing her to think of kiwi birds and inspiring the creation of Henry, Roger’s older brother.
Henry immediately drew the attention of Garnet’s student employees who begged her to make another bird, and thus Roger was born.
Unlike Henry, who lives in Garnet’s office, Roger was displayed in full view at the library front desk. Within a week of being there, students had created a full work desk set up for the bird and even sent him love notes according to Garnet.
Campus love for Roger remains strong. He currently has over 200 followers—most of which are SU students—on his Instagram account @rogerbkiw. Librarian Ryan Ake even dressed up as the kiwi bird this past Halloween. Ake’s costume choice was not influenced by his personal feelings for Roger, but rather how “Roger brings smiles from other people.”
Other than being a cute stuffed animal, Roger’s charm lies in how utterly nonsensical his existence is. Garnet herself commented on this, stating that you would expect a library mascot to be something like a bookworm or a mouse, but somehow Susquehanna ended up with a “random kiwi bird.”
Yet, Roger’s spontaneous generation into existence is what makes him so beloved. For instance, while senior Billy Mild likes official mascot Benny the Riverhawk, to him, “[Benny] has always felt a bit manufactured while Roger just kind of happened. Rather than being defined solely by his affiliation with the school, Roger is part of the subtle quirks and little joys that come with being a member of the university community.”
Admittedly, it is a bit silly to personify a knitted bird; however, Roger embodies what every campus needs: a refuge from the outer world of stress.
In loving Roger, students re-enter a universe where stuffed animals have wants, needs, dreams and aspirations. Not only does Roger create a place insulated from college stressors, but he also pushes the Susquehanna community to adopt a playful perspective that encourages them to value the simple things in life.
To people outside of the university, Roger may just be a secondary mascot, but for Susquehanna students, he is an invaluable part of our college experience. After all, it’s the hidden intricacies that give each college campus their own unique identity.
This article is a breath of fresh air! I love Roger!!