Rhinos Dress Up for Holiday

Two rhinoceroses disguised as a mummy and a vampire bat greeted visitors to the Biological Laboratory courtyard yesterday.

A group of biology graduate students calling themselves the "Rhino Committee" dressed up the twin statues outside the labs on Sunday night in preparation for Halloween.

None of the decorators could be reached for comment yesterday, but employees familiar with the tradition said the committee has masked the behemoths each Halloween and Christmas for several years.

"They did Bonnie and Clyde last year and ballerinas one time, but this might be their best job yet," said John P. Sartell, who works in one of the labs nearby.

Observes described the rhinos as "funky," "awesome" and "pretty wild." But some were puzzled about one of the rhinos, whose costume was hard to discern.

"Maybe it's a flying rhino with wings or a vampire rhino," said Tony M. Zacharek '95 as he walked through the courtyard.

Observers may have been confused because the statue's giant cloth bat wings partially collapsed yesterday afternoon.

The other rhino was draped in white sheets and paper towels, resembling a mummy. Both rhinos glared into the courtyard with red tinfoil eyes.

Some said the annual prank shows that science graduate students are capable of more than just studying.

"Now all the stereotypes are broken," Zacharek said.

"It adds to the humor of daily life," said Donald W. Starr, who works in the Bio Labs Cafe. "It's a serious place, but you can't take everything too seriously."

No action will be taken against the "Rhino Committee," employees in the administrative office said. They said the costumed rhinos add character and a sense of tradition to the courtyard.

And, perhaps, a sense of fantasy.

"At first I hoped the rhino would start flying or come to life," Starr said.