I walked down to the Hiatt ATM lounge with trepidation, as I was about to meet with two secret sources regarding a very important, relevant and intriguing article. I would become Bob Woodward (or, more appropriately, Carl Bernstein-the Jewish one.) The two Mark Felts were to reveal their experiences as Ollie the Owl.

The Brandeis mascot, who makes annual appearances at the spring open house and orientation, as well as at many sporting events, agreed to be interviewed by the Justice on the condition of strict anonymity. Although many students only see Ollie's energetic side, one male and one female mascot decided to reveal the inside story.

Mascot A first became a mascot when he saw Ollie at an activities fair and asked him, "How do I become you?" That Ollie pointed Mascot A to Future Alumni of Brandeis (FAB), which coordinates Ollie appearances.

Mascot B started her career portraying the owl when approached by her community advisor. "My CA knew a FAB honcho. As [the CA] saw my outgoing manner, he recommended that I try out to be Ollie," Mascot B said.

When asked if he underwent a selective process to wear the Ollie suit at Brandeis functions, Mascot A laughed. "Oh no, not at all. Not that many people want to be Ollie!" he said. "At other schools, they have auditions and such. But, I was put in the suit with a handler, and just...became Ollie."

At Mascot A's first event, an alumni luncheon, he understood the honor that came with being Ollie.

"I used to do that too," many alumni whispered to him.

"I am a part of a secret society, and it makes me a part of the Brandeis community," Mascot A said. "When Ollie comes out, people laugh and cheer. I pretend that the love and adulation Ollie gets is for me."

Mascot B has more practical reasons for being Ollie. "If you have crushes on people, you can overhear pertinent conversations," she said. "It's like you're invisible." Due to her invisibility, she is able to commit rude, childish acts like tapping people on the shoulder and moving away.

"Yes, I make funny faces while a parent takes a picture of his/her child and me. Nobody knows!" Mascot A said. "You can also get away with shaking your butt at Alwina [Bennett, Assistant Dean of Student Life]."

Ollie antics may be fun, but the suit itself can be quite uncomfortable. "It's physically exerting," the mascots agreed.

"On Move-in Day, I came close to passing out; I started seeing flashes of light," Mascot A said.

Even though they don't get paid, and sometimes endure up to two hours in a stifling suit, these mascots clearly enjoy their work.

"You have to love being in someone else's sweat," Mascot B said. "Once you're draped in someone else's sweat, it's a bonding experience."

Besides the bonding experience, the mascots have a repertoire of knee-slapping stories. Mascot A immediately knew his favorite. "I had to stand outside of Shapiro during a busy day of admissions tours. I had to point at and hug random people. ... One mother had no objections to hugging me. Afterward, she asked her son, 'Do you think the owl is circumcised?' The son was extremely embarrassed, and I felt so bad for him. I had to bite my tongue to avoid laughing out loud."

Mascot B has discovered many people assume that because Ollie is a male character, only male students are inside the costume.

"It's funny when slutty girls assume that Ollie is a guy. 'Come here, Ollie!' they call," Mascot B said.

Desperate girls are not Ollie's only fans. At many alumni functions and athletic events, young children love seeing Ollie. One little girl even saved Ollie from a chasing dog. "At one game, in the middle of a cheer, I heard the audience scream, 'Ollie, run away! There is a dog chasing you!' Now, I couldn't run in my uniform, so I didn't know what to do. Luckily, one little girl stood in front of me and protected me," Mascot B recalled, smiling.

At some games, however, spectators have made some unrealistic requests of the owl. Mascot B recalled one baseball game when Brandeis was losing. "Some guys called, 'Ollie, why don't you get off your butt and help the team.' I mean, I didn't know what they expected me to do. It's not like I could have batted for the team. I think the coach would have been mad."

Luckily, not many people tease and take advantage of Ollie. "The few people who bother Ollie think that they are cool. But, they're not-we are!" Mascot B said.

Despite being unpaid and enduring the sticky suit, the mascot volunteers said they love the job.

"In order to be a good Ollie, you should have the Brandeis spirit, and love sweating," Mascot B said.