Did a Squirrel Really Get Elected to the UC Berkeley Student Senate?

Furry Boi with newly elected campus President Alexander Wilfert. (Facebook/Stephen Doyle)

UC Berkeley sophomore Stephen Boyle thought it would be a good idea to run for Student Senate this semester, but he didn’t approach it in a conventional manner. He got a squirrel suit, created a character named Furry Boi and campaigned on a platform that promised safe spaces for squirrels and better access to acorns, to name a few of his planks.

Amazingly, he beat out all the human candidates and got the seat. Predictably, not everyone on campus was amused.

The Daily Californian raged in an editorial that “It’s a shocking display of privilege to vote for a squirrel over candidates who have actual plans to help students who need it.” Associated Students of University of California (ASUC) Vice-President elect for external affairs Rigel Robinson claimed Boyle stole a spot from a serious candidate.

Boyle claims in a (very) lengthy Facebook post that the whole thing started as a reaction to the way the human candidates were approaching the election. The “whole idea of running for senate came to me through a meme I wanted to make in regards to a squirrel running for ASUC Senate, which was inspired by the pretty obnoxious spam we were all getting on our Facebook feeds and a fun conversation with one of my close friends.”

He then outlines some of the key steps he plans to take to fight for real campus issues.

Who knows, this whole squirrel thing could work for someone trying to shake up the Washington establishment in the November midterms. Congressmen Furry Boi, anyone?