In November of 2021, a dinosaur was brought to live at Oakland University’s Honors College in Oak View Hall.
That dinosaur – a Tyrannosaurus rex dubbed “Honorsaurus Rex” – was recently reported missing. I found this a bit concerning for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the potential danger a loose dinosaur poses to anyone on Oakland’s campus. After all, the Tyrannosaurus rex is considered to be among the most dangerous creatures ever to roam the planet, according to experts like University of Liverpool researcher Karl Bates.
That said, a dinosaur feels too big to simply vanish into thin air, and I was unconvinced Honorsaurus Rex was gone. With hopeful optimism, I visited Honorsaurus’s last known habitat. However, my trip to Oak View Hall quickly revealed Honorsaurus was nowhere to be seen, so I began my investigation into its current whereabouts.
I checked every corner of the Honors College but was unable to find any traces of a dinosaur presence. The closest I got to finding anything dinosaur-related in the building was the discovery of a hand-drawn picture that bore features vaguely reminiscent of a dinosaur.
The picture seemed to depict a lizard-like creature of sorts, perhaps a dragon of some kind, or maybe even a crude etching of the dinosaur that once roamed the building. Either way, with no further information available to me at Oak View Hall, I began the next leg of my search.
Given the inherent danger of a dinosaur potentially running loose on campus, I decided to reach out to the Oakland University Police Department (OUPD) to see if it had received any reports about a rampaging dinosaur. During those communications, the OUPD denied receiving any reports of dinosaur attacks on campus following the disappearance of Honorsaurus.
However, this positive news regarding a lack of reported dinosaur attacks was unquestionably overshadowed by the dinosaur in question remaining at large. After all, one possible explanation for the absence of such reports is the fact that, once eaten, one would be unable to report anything at all.
With Honorsaurus Rex’s whereabouts still unknown, I remained cautious as I continued scouring the campus for answers. I searched for traces of the missing dinosaur for longer than I care to admit, but as the sun began to sink in the sky, I was forced to admit defeat and abandon my quest.
All seemed lost, as our dinosaur had seemingly vanished into thin air. Hopelessness began to set in when I realized one avenue remained untested. With all other options exhausted, I decided to take this issue straight to the top — the dean of the Honors College himself.
I reached out to Dr. Graeme Harper in a desperate email, hoping against hope my plea would not go unanswered. Then I waited.
For two agonizing days, I was left in the dark. With no word from the dean, I was about ready to give up.
Then it came. The response I had so desperately longed for. With bated breath and quickened pulse, I opened the message.
The official word from Dr. Harper, the dean of the Honors College himself, was our beloved dinosaur’s location had finally been ascertained. According to Dr. Harper, Honorsaurus Rex now resides — in storage.
