Anthropology dog serves as best friend, teaching assistant

Archie is a longhaired dachshund and the official mascot of the anthropology department.

Listed as a member of the faculty on the department’s directory, Archie has been a member of the anthropology department since he was 10 weeks old.

“I didn’t want to be stuck in my office all day, so having a dog to walk around was a perfect excuse to leave,” said Richard Wilk, Archie’s owner and a provost professor in the anthropology department. “I was lucky that my daughter wanted a dog, even though she’s always been jealous that Archie liked me better.”

A day in the life of Archie consists of going to class, attending faculty meetings, chasing squirrels and rabbits and relaxing outside Professor Wilk’s office, waiting for students to pass and give him a friendly pat.

“Archie acts as a surrogate for kids who left their dogs at home and are missing their puppies,” Wilk said. “Previously, when I was department chair, people would be afraid to come talk to me, but they would come to my office to pet and talk to Archie.”

Archie has traveled to Belize, England and France, as well as other places. On the first day of class this year, he chased a squirrel around campus, and a student found him and took him back to Briscoe Quad, where he waited in lost and found. He has also ended up in Ballantine Hall’s lost and found after he became bored with one of Wilk’s lectures and ran out of class. He has been known to take a dip in the Jordan River.

The only places Archie isn’t allowed on campus are the Indiana Memorial Union and Jordan Hall, unless he’s being used as a demonstration.
During class, he sits in front to keep an eye on the class, and in smaller classes, he roams around sniffing backpacks and looking for spare food. Professor Wilk has even trained him to bark at students who have fallen asleep in larger lectures.

Besides being a monitor for sleeping students, Archie brings a sense of relaxation to the department.

“Having a dog around makes things more human. It changes the atmosphere of class and meetings,” Wilk said. “Having a mascot is good for every team.”