John Catton, Campus Carrier Features Editor
Leo Narrison, Campus Carrier Asst. Features Editor
Velera Price, freshman
Some visitors are surprised at how domesticated Berry’s many deer seem. One visitor called the gatehouse, thinking that Berry kept the deer as pets, asked for a specific deer they saw while visiting. She asked where Berry “kept” all the deer.
“The dispatcher who answered the phone was totally baffled and could only respond, “ma’am. Those deer are wild animals. We do not keep them anywhere, they go where they please,” Price said.
The gatehouse often serves as a general information source. Workers often get calls regarding the Berry eagles. One dedicated Eagle Cam fan even asked Velera about what type of camera Berry uses.
“After 15 minutes on the phone looking up stuff on the Berry websites, reading the fine print of the Eagle Cam page and asking the dispatchers if they knew where I could find it or if there was someone else who could, we could not answer his question,” Price said. “But it was a surreal experience being asked such an obscure question.”
Seth Read, senior
It was one of Seth Read’s first days on the job at the gatehouse and one of the visitors wasn’t content with simply watching the eagles on the Eagle Cam.
“Is this the school with the eagles?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am this the school with the eagles,” Read said. “Do you know where they are?”
She said she did, but she wanted to know where she could pet and play with them.
“When I told her she couldn’t, she sincerely asked, ‘why not?’” Read said. “I told her that they were wild animals. She was pretty upset and drove off. I didn’t hear about anyone playing with the eagles, so I think the eagles were fine.”
One day, a Berry staff golf cart came in with something under tarp in the back with a stench that Read could not shake. “I mean, it was a horrible stench,” Read said. “I asked one of my coworkers who had been working there for a while and she said, ‘it’s just a deer honey, it’s just going to the deer dump,’” Read said. “I had no idea we had a deer dump! Apparently, a deer had just died at the police station and they were just bringing it through.”
A parent once asked Read where the gates were. Read said they were right by her and the parent responded, “What if someone walks right around it?”
“We a have campus police that keep us safe,” Read said. “She was legitimately worried that an intruder could come and get her. I laughed because I thought to myself, ‘this is Berry College! People will borrow a bike and return it with note,” Read said.
Tyler Hooper, junior
One time a female visitor told Tyler Hooper that he was cute and asked if he was single. He told her that he was, and she proceeded to describe her daughter, who had just graduated college and wanted him to find her on Facebook. “I never looked her up, and I honestly can’t even remember her name,” Hooper said.
“One time someone asked me where to find Morgan Freeman on campus. They were looking for Morgan Hall,” Hooper said.