Courtesy of T.J. Zambrano
The albino squirrel was found in front of Willis Library.
The significance of the albino squirrel on NT's campus has been taken to another level.
It lives behind Willis Library, and only one of its kind has been confirmed on campus.
It is not known whether it is male of female, and there is no name for it yet, but there are a few nicknames among the student body -- including Precious, Blanca, Thelonius and Enya.
It may seem like a joke to other students, but members of the organization are taking the lives of all squirrels seriously.
"A lot of people can't believe we have one," said Denton junior T.J. Zambrano, president of Albino Squirrel Preservation Society.
"It's almost like a joke, but we have pictures to support his existence on campus. We can't capture him and put him in a cage to make sure that he's OK. He makes our campus different. Supposedly if you see him he's good luck before a test because he's so rare."
The organization started in the April 2001 at UT-Austin and made its way to NT in the fall of 2002.
It may be a new organization, but there are currently 81 members at NT with chapters at four other universities.
The students who are a part of this organization care very much about the well-being of the squirrel.
On the society's Web site, members wrote special messages about how they feel about the squirrel.
The organization's goal is to raise awareness about the albino squirrel and all the other squirrels on campuses.
This is so squirrels will have a safe environment and be protected.
The organization's staff adviser emeritus, John Carroll, who joined the organization as its 16th member, first saw albino squirrels in Ripley, Tenn., at a local Sonic and since then he has been in love with them.
"I was invited to be a part of the organization by one of my resident assistants, T.J.," Carroll said.
"I have been waiting for something like this. Something that wants to have goals to preserve the special things of society.
They are really special and it's exciting to see T.J. take such an interest in this. I couldn't be happier to support and help him."
Students, faculty or staff members interested in joining the organization can write to northtexasalbino@yahoo.com for an application and can purchase a T-shirt for $ 8.
For more information, visit the Web site http://orgs.unt.edu/asps.
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