A definitive guide to Harvard’s Housing Day mascots
They tend toward furriness; they’re ceremonially trotted out once a year in fair weather or foul; and they foreshadow the future. (And, no, they’re not in Punxsutawney.) We’re speaking, of course, of the mascots who represent Harvard’s 12 undergraduate Houses and emerge on Housing Day, when first-years discover where they’ll live as upperclassmen. Tomorrow’s long-honored tradition will occur virtually, rather than in the Yard, with groups of students Zooming into private meetings to be welcomed into their new Houses. The mascots range from a red cod to an oak tree, but all represent, in one way or another, qualities or perceptions of each House. And who are the spirited souls behind the masks? Here’s a look. Winthrop House Mascot: Lion Student: Kyle Mueller ’22 This mascot is inspired by the lion on the shield of the House named after two John Winthrops: one the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the other was his...