This week’s campus celebrity is Cole Stern ‘17, or “Suits Guy” as he is known on Yik Yak. The sophomore, who gained campus-wide fame for his penchant for blazers, vests, and slacks, has a passion for theater and folklore, and loves to go on hikes.
Major: Theater, Folklore Major (Independently designed major program)
Hometown: Ogden, Utah
Favorite Movie: “The Man Who Would Be King”
Color: Blue (“It changes between blue and green, today it’s blue.”)
Favorite Quote: “Education is an experience, and the foundation of experience is self reliance” -T.H. White from The Once and Future King
Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
If I could pick anybody, I would probably want Jake Gyllenhaal to play me. In most of his movies, he’s sort of an outcast. I feel like he can play both an outcast and the kind of guy that can transition from having no friends to someone that has a lot of friends.
What is your idea of the perfect date?
A nice eight hour hike. I love hiking. Last summer, I was a dog-walker, to tire them out, I would take them through these long hikes in the Rocky Mountains. Nothing feels better. I’ve never liked anything more than getting away from it all in the mountains. You learn a lot about a person when you go hiking with them.
Why do you wear three-piece suits all the time? How do you manage to maintain that sort of “lifestyle” in college?
Fun Fact: I actually have not worn a suit on campus. I wear blazers, slacks and vests. People often think the jacket makes it a suit. I’ve dressed this way since high school. I think I’ve worn jeans a total of three times in the past eight years. I hate jeans.
How did you react when you found out that people call you “Suits Guy”?
At first, I thought it was funny, and then it got kind of weird. People who I’d never met before, would be like “Hey Suits Guy!” and I’d had to learn how to respond to that instead of my name. It was if people felt they knew me. It is a weird sort of fame.
If you were a flavor of ice cream, what would you be?
Pralines and Cream.
Describe yourself in three words.
Talkative, antiquated, proud.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Hopefully a professorship, I’d like to teach folklore or theater history.
Is #TheDress blue and black, or white and gold?
When I saw it, it was blue and black. You see it as white and gold because your brain has to color correct.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Keep working through it, because it doesn’t last forever. Things will get better.
What is a fun fact about you, other than that you like to wear suits?
I can whistle between my teeth. I know a bunch of useless knowledge. I can tell you fun facts just about anything else, like otters are directly related to skunks. Unlike every other member of that family, otters’ stink glands are not used anymore. In exchange, they have a larger tail muscle which allows them to swim.
If you were stuck on a deserted island, what would three items would you bring with you?
A lighter (if you have a lighter, you can do just about anything else), the complete works of WIlliam Blake (he’s my favorite poet, I’d need something to keep me entertained), and a telescope (it would help because I could see if anybody was passing by but I could also look at the stars)
How do you feel about people always saying that you and “Shorts Girl” should go out?
I am friends with Shorts Girl, but it would not work out. I think we both agree that me asking her out would be a terrible idea. It would be weird to have other people decide that we should be together.
Why did you choose Denison?
I was going to school about an hour from my high school and I went back one weekend to chaperone a theater function, and I walk in and there’s this guy named Vann, and he did all of the tech. I knew I wanted to transfer, so I said “Vann, where should I go to school?” and he said “Denison!” The weird thing was that Vann went to Wooster.