Stormy the Shark, the beloved Simmons mascot, has made the decision to transfer to Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) for the remainder of their college experience. 

“I’ve loved my time at Simmons, but I need to explore my passion for Civil Engineering,” said Stormy when asked about their decision. Stormy will still be taking classes at Simmons to fulfill their Arts Administration minor requirements. 

While only a 15-minute walk away, Simmons students are in turmoil about their friend’s early departure from the university.

Lilybee Wilcox, a sophomore residential student, spoke about their experience dorming with Stormy. “They’ve been the perfect roommate. Always quiet, never leaving dirty laundry around. I’ll miss them, but at least my room won’t smell like fish next year.” Wilcox shared that Stormy special orders fish from Bartol everyday for dinner, as part of their pescatarian diet. While not a huge problem, Wilcox has deemed it as “kinda weird” that their room always has a fishy odor. 

Ruggles the WIT Leopard has strong opinions on the matter. When approached by the Voice, they said, “I was the only mascot on campus for years, and now this shark is showing up? I was here first.” When asked to live with Stormy next year by Wentworth Housing and Res Life, the Leopard declined and instead opted for a single.

The Colleges of the Fenway community is waiting on the edge of their seats to see how Stormy adjusts to their new environment. Halo the Saint Bernard from Emmanuel College, Marty the Mastodon from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Red the Cardinal from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences have declined to comment, seemingly refusing to pick sides in this Colleges of the Fenway mascot battle.  

While Simmons is sad to see Stormy go, we hope they find their community within WIT and know that their shark family is still right here with them.