Walk into English professor Paul Gutjahr’s office on any given day, and you’ll be surrounded — literally — by buffalo. Buffalo stuffed animals, buffalo paintings, buffalo refrigerator magnets, buffalo T-shirts … The list goes on.

Professor and Associate Dean Paul Gutjahr in his office filled with bison images on IU Bloomington’s campus. (Photo by Chris Meyer/Indiana University)

“It wouldn’t surprise me if I had 100 buffalo items in this one room, and yes, I fully realize how odd that sounds,” laughed Gutjahr, who is the associate dean for the arts and humanities and undergraduate education at the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington.

“This all started when I was named chair of the English department, and my parents gave me an imposing picture of a buffalo in a snowstorm for my office,” he said. “I grew up in Colorado and often heard stories about blizzards blowing through the eastern plains of the state. During those blizzards, as the story goes, buffalo herds would move into the storm, while cattle tended to move along with the storm. Buffalo survived by shortening their time in the blizzard. Cattle froze to death. So I reminded myself, while serving as chair of the department, of the wisdom found in the phrase ‘Be the Buffalo.’ The buffalo became a constant reminder that it is better to face your problems head-on instead of running away from them.”

The phrase “Be the Buffalo” became Gutjahr’s personal mantra. He shared it in a faculty meeting, and before long, friends began bringing him buffalo items of all shapes and sizes from across the country.

Buffalo stuffed animals lining the window of Gutjahr’s office. (Photo by Chris Meyer/Indiana University)

Fast forward several years to 2020, when the pandemic started.

“The pandemic really forced all of us to think deeply about things like community, perseverance and resilience. When you’re in the midst of a storm, how do you negotiate it? How do you cope? Who is traveling next to you? The pandemic was a storm. It was difficult and unpredictable on so many levels.”

Gutjahr’s executive dean asked him to give his “buffalo talk” to chairs and directors in the College during the pandemic, and it was after that talk they realized they needed to share this message of resilience in a fun way with their undergraduates.

“We thought, maybe we could leverage this ‘Be the Buffalo’ discussion for undergraduates. The IU undergraduate experience is much more than what happens in the classroom or the dorm; it’s the culture students come to be a part of. In the College of Arts and Sciences, this fall’s Themester took as its theme ‘resilience.’ As we began offering programming on this theme of resilience, we decided to have a little fun with it. We started the ‘Bring Back the Bison’ campaign.”

Of course, IU’s longest-running mascot was the bison. Chosen in 1965, it was inspired by the bison on the state seal of Indiana. Bison are commonly known as buffalo; although if you Google it, you’re reminded they’re technically two different animals.

One of the T-shirts in professor Gutjahr’s office; part of the College’s “Bring Back the Bison” swag.

Gutjahr made Bring Back the Bison T-shirts, stickers, magnets and hats. They put a table in the middle of their New Student Expo, where they gave away Bring Back the Bison swag. They say they’re not interested in replacing the Hoosier; they just thought it might be fun to add the bison back in. If not for IU, could the College have its own mascot?

“As associate dean of undergraduate education at the College, I am always thinking of ways to build community for our students. A shared mascot could definitely help cohere community within the College by allowing students to feel like they are a part of something both old and new here at IU. The College of Arts and Sciences is so huge; bringing back the bison might be just one more way to connect people in the midst of that hugeness.”

Above all, Gutjahr said it’s really not about the swag or the car magnets or the T-shirts; it’s the message behind the stuff that matters.

“We always make sure to talk about that mantra: ‘Be the Buffalo.’ How do you navigate difficulty? How do you find your way through? Who is beside you in your journey?

“There are all sorts of challenges in life. When you’re an undergrad, you’re trying to find out what you’re doing, your career, your identity. It’s about finding your own path. And facing the storm head-on is a good way to start.”

First Thursdays

Watch for bison swag at the next First Thursday on Oct. 7. T-shirts, stickers and calendars will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis starting around 5 p.m., while supplies last. All are encouraged to come and join the herd.