New Dodge College dinosaur stumps, delights, angers students

Photo by Samantha Rosinski, Staff Photographer

Objectivity is one of the most important virtues of a journalist, one that The Panther prides itself in upholding. However, objectivity is thrown out the window in the presence of one thing, and one thing only: dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are awesome.

Most recently, this fact has been discovered by the offices of Chapman’s own Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Hanging proudly in the college’s admissions center — adjacent the left-most hallway from the entrance to Marion Knott Studios —  sits an oversized dinosaur head. Still relatively new to campus, little is known about it. Where did it come from? What is it for? Why here? Why now?

The Panther asked students coming out of classes at Marion Knott Studios what their opinions were on the new dinosaur. As a popular new attraction, it garnered a slew of reactions. “It’s what Dodge College needed to enhance the student experience,” or “I think we need more creatures in the Dodge campus,” and several variations of “I think it’s great” and “I love it.”

Among the Dodge positivity, some stood out with palpable levels of enthusiasm for their new tyrannosaurus pal.

“It’s dope, but I wish it was more visible and easily accessible to students,” said sophomore animation and visual effects major and self-proclaimed X-treme dinosaur freak (“with an X,” he clarified) Alec Barker. As he was asked, he pulled a dinosaur finger puppet from his bag to make his point via ventriloquy.

Despite many positive reactions, there are many on the other side:

“I think it’s a colossal waste of money,” said senior television writing and production major Holden Barker. “Majors like mine are robbed of $30,000, and that instead goes to things like a fucking dinosaur. They’re spending money on decorations when they could be spending money on the students that go here. I think it’s irresponsible to focus and talk about expensive frivolities while ignoring the real problems and demands of the student body.”

The television writing and production major used to be guaranteed a significant budget to produce two full-length television pilots. A major that explored writing and production, it has since been disbanded and is no longer offered at Dodge. Instead, the school’s focus has shifted to its separate film and television production major as well as a writing-specific writing for film and television major. And with the loss of the major came the loss of its big capstone project – producing two pilots at $15,000 each, one per semester. The money that was once set aside for these productions has since been allocated elsewhere, to a budget that includes dinosaurs.

The anonymously-run Dodge College Memes account on Instagram (@dodgecollegememes for the uninitiated) has been running a tournament to unofficially name the perched dino. As of its third round of voting, the top names include Terrence, Theodore, Dodgeosaurus and —  perhaps most popularly — Tax Write-Off.

“I really wanted him to be named Terry,” said sophomore writing for film and television major Maïa Bline. “I know the name leading in the polls is Tax Write-Off — that’s dumb. In my heart, it’s Terry.”

To the dismay of students partaking in the vote, however, the official name of the new dinosaur will be officially chosen later. The Panther spoke to those working in the new Dodge College admissions office, according to whom there will be an official name chosen by the team of admissions assistants in the near future. Along with a name, students can expect to see social media videos highlighting the new office and themed holiday apparel for its Jurassic overseer.

“It brings a sense of adventure to the new admissions office,” said undergraduate admissions counselor Danielle Chartier, whose office is located right across from the prehistoric behemoth. “I appreciate the whimsy, it just took a lot of getting used to it.”

Added to the new office at the behest of Dean Stephen Galloway and a contracted designer, the goal was to add “more flair,” according to anonymous sources within the admissions assistant team. Overall opinions were largely mixed, finding the addition obtrusive and cumbersome and a popular paparazzi stop as students passed between classes. And yet, it’s not without its strange charms. Whether or not this was the most effective way to spruce up the new office, it’s certainly done the job.

“It’s not going anywhere,” Chartier told us. “It’s here to stay.” 

As the year progresses, students can expect to see a lot more of their yet-unnamed controversial cretaceous creature companion.