Baker University is celebrating its 150th year throughout the school year, and one of the ways the sesquicentennial is being celebrated is by displaying decorative wooden wildcats.
Joanne Tolkoff, multimedia designer and special projects coordinator, said she is excited about how much fun and festivity the wildcats bring to campus.
“You can choose to celebrate who we are in a lot of different ways; the wildcat is one of them,” she said. “You can make them as wacky as you want.”
Tolkoff said she encourages students to buy one to show off their school pride and to be creative.
“Anyone can purchase a wildcat, and they can be purchased at Baker’s Alumni Office, Stephens Real Estate or the Baldwin Athletic Club. To buy the kit it costs $30 and the money goes back toward the materials to make the cats,” she said. “When you purchase your cat you receive an envelope with an adopting form and a birth certificate enclosed to show who is responsible for that wildcat.”
Besides showing school spirit, proceeds from the wildcats go Baldwin City Habitat for Humanity.
When purchasing a wildcat you can enter into a contest at the Maple Leaf Festival with all the others that have purchased cats, Tolkoff said.
“The winners will be shown on a float during the Maple Leaf Festival in October,” she said. “Judges will award prizes for best show, best personality, most school spirit, best sense of humor, funniest wildcat, most ferocious, most creative and most sesquicentennial spirit.”
Tolkoff said purchasing a wildcat is not only available to students.
“We want to engage the community to make a cat as well; the ‘cats will be displayed all year long, and the biggest point is at Maple Leaf Festival,” she said.
Tolkoff said decorating the wildcats can be the best part of the project, but coming up with some way to make the wildcats stand out requires students to think.
She said many faculty members have purchased and decorated wildcats to get in the 150th spirit.
Professor of Art Inge Balch said she decided to go with a religious theme for her wildcat.
“It’s called Holy Cat, because our school is religious and I thought it would be creative as well as fun,” she said.
Balch said she is in the process of decorating a second cat.
Senior Rashad Bolden said he hasn’t purchased a cat, but enjoys the creativity of those who have.
“I think a lot of people put a lot of effort into them,” he said. “They were really funny. People dressed them up really well.”
Bolden said he can’t help but look at the wildcats as he passes through Harter Union.