Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar
The UH Squirrel Society has been placed on interim suspension after two anonymous reports claimed the organization was engaging in ritualistic hazing.
The first claimed prospective members were asked to give a “blood oath/sacrament” as part of an initiation ceremony. The second described seeing an ominous gathering of hooded, candle-bearing students in the Student Center North. The University has since charged the Squirrel Society with five infractions of the student code of conduct, all of which relate to hazing.
The incidents, however, both occurred on or around Halloween — a fact Squirrel King Sameer Abdulmajeed feels has been overlooked.
“This was at our Halloween party last week, we called it ‘Squalloween’,” Abdulmajeed said in response to the first complaint. “We were in our costumes and put on a little performance where we ritually summoned the White-Tailed Squirrel.”
Abdulmajeed has been the Squirrel King, the organization’s title for their chief executive, since its founding in 2020. Known to many students by the name “Sameer the Red,” Abdulmajeed is often seen around campus promoting school pride while sporting a variety of UH-red costumes. This, the allegations imply, is the ringleader of a cult of ritual practitioners.
The evidence cited in the first complaint is made up of two videos taken at the organization’s Squalloween event Oct. 25, each of which were provided to The Cougar. At no point in the video are any students asked to swear a blood oath and the only sacrifice offered was the “soul of a person who kicked one of the squirrels on campus,” which was represented by a small red light.
“As far as I know, no one said anything about the sacrifice in order to join the organization,” Abdulmajeed said. “The only time I remember was we were kind of joking about sacrifice, but again, not to join the organization.”
The second complaint focused on an incident that occurred in the Student Organization Carrols in the Student Center North around 8 p.m. Oct. 31. This report alleged members of the Squirrel Society came into the carrols in full costume carrying candles and a red star symbol. Earlier that day, the complainant alleges to have overheard members planning another ritual.
Abdulmajeed’s explanation for this is simple: It was Halloween night.
“This was on Halloween, so we were in our Halloween costumes. We were standing around in a circle talking to each other in our costumes,” Abdulmajeed said. “And what the report neglects to mention is that this ritual was to summon the eldritch horror ‘Squithulu.’”
For Abdulmajeed, the timing of the suspension amounts to far more than a simple ban on day-to-day operations. Formerly a contender for the Homecoming crown, losing the Squirrel Society effectively amounts to losing the race for Abdulmajeed.
In order to run for Homecoming Court, students must be nominated by a Registered Student Organization. The Squirrel Society’s suspension means Abdulmajeed has lost the organizational backing required to hold the position.
“They didn’t look into it at all. They didn’t let me plead my case … they just straight up denied me without actually looking into anything,” he said. “I put a lot of my own money, effort and time into campaigning for this, so it feels really bad to have it taken away with nothing I can do about it.”
