This year, Southeastern Louisiana University’s mascot Roomie turned 57 years old. Roomie is arguably the most well-known and loved symbol of the university who has been a great representation of the growth of the school. 

Although Southeastern first chose a lion as the school’s mascot in 1931, the name Roomie was not adopted until 1964. Roomie’s original name was Lobo, which was voted on by the students attending SLU in 1963. However, Lobo means “wolf” in Spanish, and since the mascot is a lion, the school decided to have it changed. 

They eventually settled on Roomie after Dr. Hollis “Roomie” Wilson, who was an avid SLU football fan and well known on campus. 

Southeastern faced many challenges on its way to becoming the university that it is today, from underfunding to low prioritization. As the school gained traction and more popularity, so did Roomie. 

The physical Roomie costume changed several times– once in the 90s, once in the early 2000s and again in 2017. Over the course of this progression, Roomie became a well loved icon for SLU and had over 200 people come to celebrate his birthday. 

When people see Roomie, they say they are always reminded of the fond memories they have at SLU, and they are given hope for the future. Whether it is for exams or the next football game, Roomie is always there to encourage the students and remind them of their happiest times. 

“Roomie symbolizes hope and excitement, so anytime anyone sees Roomie on campus it’s, ‘I gotta take a selfie with Roomie,’ ‘Oh I gotta go see Roomie.’ Roomie gives people that kind of hope, even during COVID when people see Roomie, they get excited,” Zachary Rogers, coordinator of leadership at Southeastern, commented. 

During SLU’s most challenging times, especially COVID-19, Roomie has been there for the students as a reminder to be excited for the little things, even when times are hard. 

Even at football games, everyone can easily spot Roomie on the sidelines supporting the team. Roomie’s familiar face can always be seen cheering on the players or hyping up the crowd. 

Junior wide receiver C.J. Turner said, “Roomie’s really cool. He always brings a lot of energy to the fans, which we players feed off of.”

Roomie’s spirit and energy always gets people excited and ready to have fun, which makes the atmosphere enjoyable everywhere he goes. Roomie is always there for SLU students to make their time in college as fun as possible and brings the spirit of school pride with him. 

Lion’s Athletics Association Coordinator and Spirit Director Catherine Lawrence said, “Roomie is loved by so many different types of fans for so many different reasons.  My favorite experiences are seeing the kids and fans yell for him to come see them, as well as the way they carry themselves through the weather we have and never show fatigue.”

The school’s No. 1 cheerleader has always been Roomie, not only at football games, but any other time a student needs him. 

Whether it is for grades, COVID-19 testing or supporting SLU’s greek life, Roomie’s face is at the forefront of it all. The spirit of Southeastern Louisiana University lies with Roomie and will always be looked to as a symbol of hope just like he has for the past 57 years.