About
The History
Squirrel feeding has a long and glorious history at U-M, as shown by this photograph of the Diag, taken in 1913. Obviously, this man, were he a student today, would be a member of the Squirrel Club. Credits: J.D. LaRue (photographer), Will Caine (man), campus squirrel. View a larger version of this photo.
The Squirrel Club was founded by Jason Colman and Justin Hyatt in 2002 after a late-night dorm conversation about squirrels. Although only five students attended the first meeting in October of that year, by the following Spring the club had over 100 members. By 2004, the Squirrel Club was one of the largest student organizations at Michigan with over 400 members—and our ranks continue to grow.
Past leaders have included Dana Nowak (r. 2005–2008) and Lizzie Seagle (r. 2005–2006). Jason Colman, founder and Duke of the Squirrel Club, led the Club in 2008–2009.
2009–2010 marks a change of leadership. This year, the Club will be directed by president Peter Feng, a sophomore and veteran squirrel feeder. Although the Duke will continue to offer support as necessary, we strongly believe that the Club needs undergraduate involvement to thrive.
The Mission
We are dedicated to the feeding and welfare of the squirrels on campus, and we publicize this goal through awesome t-shirts, too.
The Details
Meetings of the Club are held every Sunday, barring inclement weather, on the U-M campus. Members meet at 4 p.m. on the steps of Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, take a handful or two of peanuts, and usually spend the next half hour feeding squirrels on the Diag. Squirrel Club meetings rarely occur during Winter, although meetings are called when the weather allows, but the weekly Fall schedule resumes in late March, once the snow thaws.
What do we do at a Squirrel Club meeting? We feed peanuts to the squirrels and have a good time. No stress, no dues, just the pure joy of having a squirrel take a peanut out of your hand. Maybe two or three if he’s hungry.
You should probably join.
