Celebrating 75 Years with Roomie
This year, Southeastern Louisiana University’s mascot Roomie turned 75 years old. Roomie is arguably the most well known and loved symbol for the university who has been a great representation of the growth of the school.
Roomie’s original name was Lobo, which was voted on by the students attending SLU at the time. However, Lobo means wolf in Spanish and since the mascot is a lion, the school decided to have it changed. They eventually settled on Roomie after Dr. Hollis “Roomie” Wilson, who was an avid SLU football fan and well known on campus.
Southeastern has faced many challenges on its way to becoming the university that it is today, from underfunding to low prioritization. As the school gained traction and more popularity, so did Roomie. The physical Roomie costume changed several times, once in the 90s, once in the early 2000s and again in 2017. Over the course of this progression, Roomie became a well loved icon for SLU and even had over 200 people come to celebrate his birthday.
When people see Roomie, they are always reminded of the fond memories they have at SLU and they are given hope for the future. Whether it’s for exams or the next football game, Roomie is always there to encourage the students and remind them of their happiest times.
“Roomie symbolizes hope and excitement, so anytime anyone sees Roomie on campus it’s ‘I gotta take a selfie with Roomie,’ ‘Oh I gotta go see Roomie.’ Roomie gives people that kind of hope, even during COVID when people see Roomie, they get excited,” commented Zachary Rogers, coordinator of leadership at Southeastern and lover of SLU history.
During SLU’s most challenging times, especially COVID, Roomie has been there for the students as a reminder to be excited for the little things, even though things are hard.
Even at football games, everyone can easily spot Roomie on the sidelines supporting the team. Roomie’s familiar face can always be seen cheering on the players or hyping up the crowd.
Football player C.J. Turner said, “Roomie’s really cool; he always brings a lot of energy to the fans which we players feed off of.”
Roomie’s spirit and energy always gets people excited and having fun, which makes the atmosphere around him enjoyable everywhere he goes. Roomie is always there for SLU students to make their time in college as fun as possible and brings the spirit of school pride with him.
Director of spirit Catherine Lawrence stated, “Roomie is loved by so many different types of fans for so many different reasons. My favorite experiences are seeing the kids and fans yell for him to come see them, as well as the way they carry themselves through the weather we have and never show fatigue.”
The school’s number one cheerleader has always been Roomie, not only at football games but any other time a student needs him. Whether it’s for grades, COVID testing, or supporting SLU’s greek life, Roomie’s face is at the forefront of it all. The spirit of Southeastern Louisiana University lies with Roomie and will always be looked to as a symbol of hope just like he has for the past 75 years.
