The first time I saw UC Berkeley\u2019s beloved mascot, Oski, I didn\u2019t get that starry-eyed feeling. I didn\u2019t feel a rush of excitement, nor did I scream out loud that the campus legend was right in front of me. Instead, visceral fear shot through my veins when I came face to face with the 85-year-old bear. With those rigid, unblinking eyes and a smile that stretches far too wide, Oski looks straight out of a horror movie. Every opportunity I had to take a photo with Oski, I turned down in favor of being the photographer \u2014 anything that would get me as far away from Oski as possible.<\/p>\n
This semester, I finally took matters into my own hands. After all, Oski is the beating heart of UC Berkeley. He\u2019s everywhere you look \u2014 walking around campus during midterm season, hyping up the student section at football games or maybe, he\u2019s right behind you\u2026<\/p>\n
So if you also feel your heart rate increase when you\u2019re near our campus mascot, here are some tips to get over your fear of Oski, coming from someone who just took her first \u201cfirst day\u201d photo with our mischievous Golden Bear.<\/p>\n
Figure out the root of your fear<\/p>\n
Why does seeing Oski randomly pop out of nowhere feel like you just experienced a \u201cFive Nights at Freddy\u2019s\u201d jumpscare? Is it the element of surprise? Or is it truly just him? Did your fear start when you saw photos of the first-ever Oski costume? Whatever the reason, try to determine why you feel so strongly opposed to him. For me, it was definitely the way he wiggled his fingers as he stared into my soul.<\/p>\n
Exposure Therapy<\/p>\n
Once you figure out why you are scared, the best way to get over it is to start with small interactions. Start by watching videos of him on the @cal_oski Instagram page, a sure way to at least bring a smile to your face as he bounces around with endless energy. Then, go with a friend to see Oski in person. Keep a safe distance at first, but still enjoy the chaos and playful energy he exudes.<\/p>\n
Sympathize with Oski<\/p>\n
Imagine how it feels to be in Oski\u2019s Size 15 athletic shoes. It surely can\u2019t be easy to carry decades worth of school spirit and tradition on your shoulders. Now, think about how sad he would be if you looked at him with fear in your eyes. Sure, there\u2019s some guilt-tripping happening, but Oski deserves all the love and attention a UC Berkeley student can give. He is there to bring you joy, and like the rest of us, he\u2019s also just here to graduate (kind of).<\/p>\n
Find what\u2019s relatable about Oski<\/p>\n
If all else fails, remember that Oski is a fellow UC Berkeley student like you! Similar to many of us, Oski is still figuring out his career path. As an undecided and undeclared student, Oski is the perfect carefree bear to hype up the student section at Cal football games and give students a little extra serotonin as we trudge through Evans Hall. Just remember that beneath the bright yellow-sweater-and-blue-pants combo is a regular student who lives among us all year.<\/p>\n
Take a photo with Oski<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve gotten through all my previous tips, I have one last challenge for you. Go up to Oski, give him a big, warm hug and take a picture with him! Face those fears, take a deep breath and feel them melt away, replaced by a newfound love for our playful Golden Bear. Once you do, you will be so happy to have a photo with the campus icon himself \u2014 one you can flaunt to all of your jealous Oski-loving friends.<\/p>\n
With game day right around the corner, Oski will surely be a celebrity among the crowd. Remember these tips, test them out and put your fears to rest because you, too, deserve to celebrate with Oski!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first time I saw UC Berkeley\u2019s beloved mascot, Oski, I didn\u2019t get that starry-eyed feeling. I didn\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481873,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[86672,32890,188892,142968,143,145,144,53855,2398,29012],"class_list":["post-481872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-evans-hall","tag-fear","tag-five-nights-at-freddys","tag-mascot","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-oski","tag-photography","tag-spirit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}