Help! Vinnie the Vertebrate Never Returned From Spring Break!
Posted on May 6, 2009
Updated on June 17, 2009
Spring break is over, and students are back on campus – but one very important character hasn’t returned…Vinnie the Vertebrate! So it’s time to break out the search lights again, because the next “Where’s Vinnie?” hunt has begun.
The “Where’s Vinnie?” contest will feature a hidden medallion with a picture of the University’s mascot, Vinnie the Vertebrate, which will be hidden in an area on campus accessible to the entire Northwestern community during daytime hours.
One clue is unveiled every Wednesday in “Northwestern Today.” The winner receives a $100 Visa gift card after they bring the Vinnie medallion to the communications office. Stay tuned to “Northwestern Today” for the clues to finding Vinnie.
Clue #1
The campus was quiet, students were on spring break,
Vinnie wanted a trip too, but he made a big mistake.
Clue #2
You can check your suitcase, but there he doesn’t lie,
If you check the ocean, you’re no closer than the sky.
Clue #3
Vinnie missed his flight, so in Minnesota he remains,
Put your heads together to optimize your brains.
Clue #4
Vinnie never left, but sights he still did see,
A city, a school, a beautiful campus all for he.
Clue #5
He thought about visiting the country’s largest mall,
But eventually Vinnie decided not to leave home at all.
Clue #6
The beach Vinnie missed, so he created a new scene,
The grass, the trees, the plants were all growing green.


