WILD GOOSE CHASE
December 4, 2013 by Elizabeth Semko

Some college campuses are home to squirrels. Some have the occasional rabbit; others have deer. SIUE has all of these - but the wild creatures that rule the roost on campus are the geese.

Don't let these feathered animals fool you. They are not ducks. Do not throw the leftovers of your lunch to them and expect them fluff their feathers in gratitude. Actually, if you come across one th at seems particularly interested in you, most SIUE students agree that you should immediately try to avoid them.

"I walk around [the geese when I see them]," junior Abi Gonzalez said.

The Canadian geese that roam campus are famous for their aggressive nature. They have been known to chase and fly at people that have invaded their very wide sense of personal space, and they are no stranger to hissing menesacingly at passersby. Mostly seen during winter and spring, the geese become particularly aggressive during mating season in the earlier part of the year. Senior Kasten Riedle says that the geese "have officially taken over Cougar Village," the university-owned apartment complex for upperclassmen.

"I was walking to my car last semester, and some girl froze because she was afraid of the geese and waited for me to walk by her. Literally, she was on her phone and [gasped], and I'm like, 'Okay, I see what's happening,'" Riedle said.

Cougar Village residents say that the geese are most common on the 400 side of the complex because of the lake that is behind it. The geese also tend to set up camp by the lake behind Evergreen Hall, the upperclassmen dorm; outside a door to MUC (another reason not to feed them - they begin hanging out closer to where humans, and a food source, are located), and different classroom buildings.

"[I see the geese] over by Peck Hall," junior Tene Brink said. Most students have classes in Peck at one point or another, too, because of the number of general education classes that take place there.

So what should you do if a goose comes towards you?

First off, you should not turn your back to the goose and run the other way, according to ohiogeesecontrol.com. Instead, keep eye contact with the goose, and act neutral, not hostile, as you slowly back away. If the goose still flies at you, turn at a 90-degree angle and duck. Goose bites may be painful, but they're not known to be life threatening.

SIUE has considered different ways to solve the goose problem, including a harvesting of the geese to be used as food for charity. The project, which was proposed this summer, was canceled due to student protest.

So until the university and students can come to an agreement about how to relocate them, the geese are here to stay. But don't let that keep you from attending college here. If you know where you should have your best don't-you-dare-attack-me face on and what to do if a goose comes too close, the geese will just become a part of everyday life at SIUE.