Street Interviews: Thoughts on the Huskie statue, Oorah

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Columnist|March 28, 2023

DeKALB – The Huskies on Parade statues sprinkled across DeKalb have served as a source of unity and remembrance since they were installed in memorial of the Feb. 14 shooting at NIU.

The theft of one such colorful Huskie, however, is a shock and a heartbreak. Oorah, a Huskie statue who stood for 15 years outside the local Doherty Law Firm, was stolen last November.

Many NIU students are upset to hear of the statue’s dog-napping, yet eager for the arrival of its replacement. Welcome home to the spirit of Oorah!

Allison Vogt

What are your thoughts on the theft of Oorah?
Answer : “Well, when I first came here, I saw the statues. Now, I didn’t know what they were for, but I thought they were really cool. I thought they were kind of fun, kind of neat… little Huskies everywhere. I thought they were cool, that they were painted all kinds of different colors. And I was like, ‘That’s neat!’ Just feels like the campus just kind of feels like it’s home. You know, there’s Huskies everywhere. You’re reminded that you are on NIU’s campus…

Um, the thefts, how would one of these things even be stolen? Aren’t they huge statues? What kind of heist would you need to, like, pull off, to take one of these things?… It feels like a sign or something, fine. That probably could have gotten stolen pretty easily. But a huge statue? You would need at least, like, two people. I bet one of those Huskie statues is, like, in the basement of some house or something. That’s, I don’t want to speculate at all, but I feel like you would need at least one, like, more than one person to be able to take it, which is really sad, too. I hope they find it.”

What are your thoughts on Oorah’s return?

Answer : “I’m happy about it. I hope, I hope maybe they’ll find the original one, and they’ll, maybe they’ll place them side-by-side. It’ll be Oorah and his twin brother. But I’m really excited to get another one of the statues there.”

Rio Villalobos

What are your thoughts on the theft of Oorah?
Answer : “That sounds absolutely silly. Like I can’t, that sounds like something I would only hear from a cartoon or something…If it’s something of a personal issue, that sounds petty, if it’s a joke, kind of over the top. But other than that, I’m surprised anyone would steal a statue…

Did they call, like ‘Oorah Oorah! Come home! Like putting up posters: ‘Have you seen this statue? Goes by the name Oorah, please do not approach. He will run away.’”

What are your thoughts on Oorah’s return?

Answer: “That sounds good because that’s where it was previously, although, I don’t know. This just sums, uh, the paranoia in my head and makes me think if they’ll steal it again. But let’s just hope it doesn’t happen, right?”

Junior business management major Nuam Kim. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

About the Contributors

Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Columnist

Lucy Atkinson is a junior from Anchorage, Alaska, double majoring in journalism and earth, atmosphere and environment with an emphasis in earth and planetary science. She first joined the Northern Star in the fall of 2022 and previously served as the opinion editor. In her free time, Lucy enjoys reading, going for runs, playing piano and collecting notes on Illinois’s beautiful flora and fauna.

Tim Dodge, Former Social Media Manager

Tim Dodge is a senior journalism major and a sports journalism minor at NIU. He began as a photographer in the spring of 2023 and became the senior photojournalist in the spring of 2024. Tim enjoys photographing sporting events, playing golf, video games and is a fan of the Chicago Bears, Bulls, White Sox, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Opinion