CREDIT TK 1989 BEAVER YEARBOOK; 1996 BEAVER YEARBOOK; KARL MAASDAM, '93 Bernice Is Back Benny may be the original OSU mascot, but he isn’t the university’s only mascot. Bernice joined Benny in representing Beaver Nation during Homecoming 1981, riding that era’s rising tide of visibility and support for women’s athletics. Eventually she donned women’s volleyball and basketball uniforms to wear when performing at those events. But then, in 1998, Bernice “went into hiatus or went out for a jug of milk and never came back, whatever it was,” as Later put it. She remained unceremoniously off campus until one fateful Saturday afternoon in 2023, when the top-secret Project B brought her back. Making Bernice’s surprise reappearance at that fall’s Homecoming game as dazzling as possible required two people: Audrey Brandis, ’24, and Hailey Francisco, ’25. Brandis, a member of the cheer team, was chosen for her experience doing stunts. It was no more than two weeks before the reveal that the participants found out, Brandis said. “And immediately we were so excited … . It was one of the highlights of my career, easily.” While Brandis was in the Bernice suit, Francisco was in the Benny suit to welcome Bernice home. The cheer team practiced their routine but didn’t find out until just before the game that it involved bringing back Bernice. Francisco told only the two Bennys working with her that day about it on the morning of the game. For the 5-foot-2 Brandis, one of the Benny costumes had to be altered to fit, and an old Bernice head was dug out of storage, limited field of vision and all. “So I’m totally trusting my teammates and my body awareness,” she said. “I could barely see . … [The pyramid] felt way harder than normal.” After the reveal, Benny and Bernice left Reser Stadium. Brandis changed into her cheer uniform, Francisco became Bernice for the rest of the day and one of the other Bennys donned the Benny costume. This gave Brandis and Francisco a chance to initially define Bernice and her relationship to Benny: Platonic? Romantic? Somewhere in between? “I did a fun little dance routine, and at the end he dipped me, so it added those possibilities for either way,” Brandis said.As for Francisco, she decided,“She’s going to be sassy, she’s going to be messing with Benny. It was fun to create the personality.” Spring 2026 39 Francisco said she’s enjoyed following Bernice’s evolution and makeover from that first improvised suit: “It’s pretty awesome to see that it’s become a thing that’s a little more invested in the Oregon State community.” AS THE FINAL horn sounds in Gill Coliseum, the scoreboard shows Oregon State has fallen to Pacific. Back in the mascot locker room, Benny peels off the suit and takes in a big breath of air not filtered through the shell of an oversized head. The men’s basketball team may have had a rough go, but win or loss aside, did Benny have a good game? “Oh, yeah,” Benny says. “It was a lot of fun. It was a great game.” ↑ 1989 AND 1996: Benny and Bernice were among the earliest mascot duos in NCAA history. ↑ 2023: After a 25-year hiatus, Bernice made a grand return at Homecoming in 2023. ↑ 2024: An updated Bernice with Benny, spreading cheer once again. 1989 1996 2024 2023
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