Matt Nickerson ’24

Staff Writer

The mascot of the College of the Holy Cross, the Crusader, has been a source of controversy over recent years, with various calls for a change in mascot– and one anonymous student seems to have a certain tree-loving rodent in mind should the need arise. On Instagram, there are no less than four accounts (perhaps there are more) solely dedicated to receiving and posting images of squirrels seen scurrying across Mount St. James: squirrelsofhc, squirrelsofholycross, holycrosssquirrels1, and holycrosssquirrels. The latter two accounts range from having zero to one posts featured, but the former two boast more than a hundred followers combined, and thirty-one cumulative posts. “squirrelsofhc” last posted back in May 2021, but “squirrelsofholycross” was activated back in November, and as of this writing, has posted in the last three hours. The account’s description cheerfully proclaims,

“Dm pics or videos of the amazing squirrels on our campus!”

Likewise, the “squirrelsofhc” account demonstrates a fixation on so-called tree rats in its description, and even makes a claim that is potentially as contentious as it is poor grammar:

“College squirrels are so much different from regular squirrels”

Now, what exactly makes squirrels at Holy Cross so unique? Perhaps they are especially long, or they are more gray than what one might expect, or they are especially nimble due to having to climb the vine-covered brick buildings across campus. Visiting one of these Instagram accounts might provide answers to these questions, as Anna Moran ‘24 can attest to. By any measure, it is clear that any of these account owners would be deeply in gratitude to receive pictures of squirrels, which they seek to hoard and collect, much like their beloved squirrels do with acorns as the cold front moves into Worcester.