Ducks Waddle Their Way Onto Campus

Our News Editor, Kane Finders, was recently approached by students wondering, “What is up with all the little ducks?” This was news to us at The Advocate, and so we set out to investigate and follow the trail of the mystery fowl that have mushroomed across the MHCC Gresham campus, multiplying since autumn.

David Favreault, a mathematics instructor at Mt. Hood, provided evidence of the event in the form of a little resin, or ceramic, duckie with a Christmas hat.

According to several witnesses, the slew of little duckies (barely an inch high) arrived sometime last fall. The Math and Science departments seem to have been targeted for a deluge, with other faculty office hallways displaying abundant evidence as well.

On my hunt I found hundreds (yes! hundreds!) of duckies resting peacefully on many instructors’ name plates just outside their office doors, all along the hallway. They also congregate at the mailing areas, sometimes alone, but often with friends. They appear to enjoy the company of other critters, such as frogs and bears and cats that also have suddenly appeared.

In my search for more evidence, I encountered a security officer who responded by glaring at me suspiciously and appearing to record this behavior on a handheld device. Perhaps the influx of these invaders has set some folks on edge? Perhaps he was having “a day” or was disappointed that I approached him without fear. But in my defense, the duckies appear to be harmless…

When I asked at the MHCC president’s office, “Stephanie” (editor note: last name withheld for privacy) replied, “I don’t know if it was a student or faculty member (who started things), but they showed up and some people started collecting them.”

Prior to this exploration, we were only aware of the ducky drama happening in the Visual Arts Gallery fountain-turned-pond.

Who is behind this invasion? We wonder still.

Could it be someone celebrating their acceptance to the University of Oregon? Could the University of Oregon have launched a subtle campaign to recruit Mt. Hood students to apply for more bachelor’s degree programs there?

Perhaps someone saddled with a sudden surplus of duckies simply decided to bring more levity to the campus.

There are so many paths this mystery may take, and we are interested in following each of them.

The kid in this correspondent wants this to be an evergreen mystery – with every year bringing more delightful and varied artifacts to be discovered. If the culprit is not a staff or faculty member, the student responsible could covertly “pass the mantle” to another student whenever they move on from our campus to pursue their next dream.

Do the denizens of MHCC want to know more? Are you interested to learn who is behind this? Do you know of other scenes we should investigate to gather more clues in our investigation?

Send us a note if you have information for us, or other avenues to explore. If there is enough interest, we will happily continue the investigation.

My personal, current conclusion is that these duckies have been brought here to help us to remember to find ways to bring play and joy into our daily lives.