Updated 4/11/2018: this article has been updated to reflect more information from Kink Club board member and former Daily Californian opinion columnist Kylie Sammons.
As squirrels acclimate to urban settings, they become more comfortable entering human spaces — one such example is Furry Boi, a squirrel who is running independently for ASUC Senate.
Furry Boi, who resides in Berkeley’s Eucalyptus Grove, announced his independent campaign March 16 and is endorsed by the UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens Facebook page. Campus sophomore Stephen Boyle filed Furry Boi’s candidacy and acts as Furry Boi’s proxy.
The squirrel decided to run independently because he believes the established ASUC parties do not represent his interests.
“Furry Boi is appalled that neither parties on Cal’s campus advocate for squirrel representation,” Boyle said. “He wants to be at the forefront of squirrel rights issues and increase biodiversity, which wouldn’t be possible if he were to be slated by either of the parties.”
Furry Boi’s platforms address community representation, basic needs security and academic advocacy for squirrels. He hopes to create a squirrel sidekick mascot named Nutty McNut Nut, foster safe spaces for squirrels and bridge the divide between humans and squirrels.
The squirrel’s qualifications for ASUC senate include leading the squirrel militia of Eucalyptus Grove and being the self-identifying president of the Berkeley College Republicans — although the current president is Bradley Devlin. He also said he had a product management internship at Apple, and said he was a member of the Kink Club, although Kink Club board member and former Daily Californian opinion columnist Kylie Sammons confirmed that neither Furry Boi nor Boyle are members of the club.
Boyle, dressed in a squirrel suit, campaigned for Furry Boi for three hours Wednesday.
This is not the first time that satirical candidates have run for ASUC offices. The party SQUELCH! has run satirical executive candidates in past years, such as Ghost and Kira the Husky, though no candidates from the party are running this year.
“When I was on Sproul, I had a lot of awesome conversations with so many people. … They see the anti-establishment spirit in me,” Boyle said. “I Sprouled Sproulers. I gave the Sproulers a taste of their own medicine.”
