A satirical campaign for UC Berkeley’s student senate was successful, surprising even the squirrel who was elected
By Kent German April 15, 2024 (SFGate.com)
A view of the UC Berkeley campus.lucentius/Getty Images
A lack of affordable housing is such a critical issue at UC Berkeley that even the squirrels roaming the wooded campus are worried about it. Or at least that’s what a satirical — and successful — candidate in the university’s recent student government elections is saying.
Last week, Furry Boi, a squirrel from Berkeley’s eucalyptus grove, won a student senate seat for the next academic year alongside 19 human candidates. And he barely squeaked in, coming in with the second-lowest number of votes.
But it’s not all as nuts as it may sound: A person is behind the squirrel. Ethan Hu, a 19-year-old sophomore computer science major from the Bay Area, told SFGATE he wanted to avoid a performative campaign that would be just for his resume, which can be a trait of some student government candidates.
“I would have a few actual gripes that campus culture had about the student senate,” he said. “But it’s also an extended April Fools’ joke that somehow snowballed.”
According to Furry Boi’s candidate profile published in the Daily Californian last week, his platform centered on “public housing for squirrels and students, better access to acorns and support groups for those experiencing habitat loss.”
Though Hu has not yet decided whether he’ll take his seat, he said a push for more housing is not a joke. It’s just that he wanted to give satirical mapping to actual human issues.
“I could probably base a fake press release on the premise that landlords in Berkeley are getting so greedy, they’re starting to evict squirrels,” he said.
Hu said his independent campaign consisted of just him, while other candidates had a staff of people working with them. Not expecting to win, he arrived late after votes were counted Friday and didn’t even hear Furry Boi’s name being announced.
“I thought they were pulling my leg… I thought they were mocking me,” he said.
The Daily Californian reported that during the vote tabulation, the news of Furry Boi’s victory was greeted with “silence and groans.” But this isn’t the first time Furry Boi has thrown his nut into the ring.
In 2018, the first Furry Boi candidate won election to the Associated Students of the University of California senate when then-sophomore Stephen Boyle campaigned on a wide-ranging platform, which included advocating for students with disabilities and creating a squirrel sidekick named Nutty McNut Nut. Backed by UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens on Facebook, Boyle even wore a squirrel suit and did take office.
Though he revived the Furry Boi campaign, Hu lacked any endorsements during his run and did not don a costume. He suspects staying under the radar, while other candidates were canvassing across campus to win support, is what likely won him votes.
“A lot of votes probably came from apathetic voters who are tired of being browbeaten by other candidates, ” he said. “… I guess it was a protest vote without people knowing it was a throwback to what happened before.”
April 15, 2024
NEWS EDITOR
Kent German is a News Editor at SFGATE. A California native, he’s a USF graduate and a veteran of CNET where he edited features and wrote the review of the first iPhone. He’s also a dog person and a proud aviation geek with a healthy knowledge of airport codes. Email him at kent.german@sfgate.com.
