Partly Cloudy, 64°
It was a relatively uneventful evening of Brown Orientation activities. The air was crisp and warm, and the smell of excitement wafted through the air as freshmen frolicked upon the festive Pembroke green. Things were going splendidly . . . that is, until disaster struck.
"She just started screaming," Robert Rowe '13 later reported of the incident. "It was like, everything was fine and then, out of nowhere, the scene turned chaotic."
Chaos ensued when Samantha Pawfoot '13, a one-time survivor of a freak bear accident that occurred in the woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula last fall, encountered Bruno, the school mascot and an ominous reminder of her dark past. Following the incident, she was rushed to Psychological Services, where she has been taking safe haven from her fears for the past week.
Medical and psychological personnel have attempted to re-acclimate Samantha to the college environment, first presenting her with plush, bear-like stuffed animals and gradually working towards full rehabilitation. "We've never seen a case as severe as this before," says an unidentified source, speaking on terms of confidentiality. "For now, we're doing what we can and hoping for the beary best," he quipped, failing to illicit the intended laugh. Awkwardly, he returns to his office.
When asked for a statement, Pawfoot could only speak to the Noser for a few minutes before she started hyperventilating and her heart rate spiked dangerously. She revealed little on the topic, apart from these heart-wrenching words: "I just can't believe this could happen to me . . . revisiting my trauma while writing my admissions essay was difficult enough, but seeing a bear not just in my mind, not just in writing, but in real life? Oh . . . " she faltered, as medical attendants quickly rushed in.
Hoping for another perspective on the situation, the Noser sat down with Brown's beloved bear mascot. However, he didn't seem to be affected, maintaining his typical jovial expression and cuddly demeanor. Upon asking Bruno what he felt about the situation as a whole, he responded, "Well, I feel bad for whatever happened to the girl . . . I just hope I can keep my job."
So is this the end of the good old days when a mascot could go to a school event without fear of initiating a psychological breakdown? Or is this simply a bump in the school spirit road over which we must persevere? Only time will tell. But for now, we must err on the side of caution when it comes to such deep-rooted and controversial issues involving the mental stability of our student body at large.
