UB Spider-Man sows positivity on campus

It’s a typical spring day on the North Campus. Geese roam the green landscape. Groups of coffee cup-carrying students walk to classes, while others sit and talk.

But there, amid the sea of normalcy, is Spider-Man.

Meet UB Spider-Man. Dressed head to toe in a Spider-Man costume, he’s been spotted at The Commons, in the Student Union lobby and even among a crowd of protesters. He’s seemingly everywhere, and has become a fixture of the North Campus community.

On a recent April afternoon, UB’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man strolled into the basement of Lockwood Library, eyes glued to his phone screen. He took a short break from “fighting crime” to answer a few questions from UBNow.

Asked if he could shed his mysterious persona by revealing his identity, he tilted his head for a second in mock-thought before politely rejecting the idea. So UBNow will just refer to him as UB Spider-Man.

“Don’t forget the hyphen. It’s important,” he stressed.

Surprisingly, UB Spider-Man wasn’t simply a man dressed in a skin-tight Spider-Man costume. He acted and sounded like Peter Parker, too. He rubbed his chin and tilted his head, seemingly giving simple questions great thought. He avoided curse words.

What motivated UB Spider-Man to start dressing up as a superhero is a heavily debated topic on campus. As one of the most recognizable persons in a sea of 30,000 students, his mission seems selfless.

“I wanted to help people and, I guess, I was too nervous to do it as myself,” UB Spider-Man said.

Three years ago, he realized there were many students on campus who would benefit from kindness and understanding. He already had a Spiderman costume from Halloween sitting in his closet, so he decided to put it on and approach people as a superhero they know and love.

“Everyone needs positivity,” said UB Spider-Man. “I try to help out with that. I’m anonymous, so they feel free to tell me how they feel.”

UB Spider-Man said he often encounters students struggling with their coursework and their mental health, especially in the Silverman Library during midterms or finals. One day, he talked to a student studying in the library and found out that they had been practically living there for days. He suggested the student go home, take a shower, and get a good night’s rest.

“School’s not that important,” UB Spider-Man told the student.

He said the overall reaction from students and staff is “overwhelmingly positive.” But he said he has encountered criticism at times, recalling a moment when he was greeting a group of students, including some friends, who were passing by. Someone called him a “creep” and a “loser.”

Nevertheless, he said, the positives outweigh the negatives.

That’s why UB Spider-Man said he works tirelessly to cheer up anyone he encounters. If someone is a bit quiet or awkward, he said he includes them in the conversation and gives them his full attention as they speak.

UB Spider-Man also obliges students who want to snap a picture of him, which has helped grow his public profile. A student on his way to Lockwood Library recently asked UB Spider-Man, who himself was rushing toward Jacobs Management Center, for a quick photo.

“You got my good side,” UB Spider-Man replied to the student’s Reddit post of the encounter.

UB Spider-Man admits he’s an introvert when he’s not in costume. The suit makes it easier to talk to people, he said. In turn, his anonymity fosters trust among those he meets. And that same anonymity helps him develop the interpersonal skills he says he needs in his future career.

Before he graduates, UB Spider-Man said he wants to establish a long-term mental health program — an issue exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic — that would help curtail the dread some students feel throughout the semester.

“I want to make a program that does a better way of assisting student’s mental health,” he said.

Also, he was quick to offer advice to anyone in need of a few encouraging words.

“If you do bad things and you’re the cause of it, you will never find love,” UB Spider-Man said.

“Nevermind, that won’t work … No matter what happens, nothing lasts forever, so the stress you’re feeling will eventually go away. I think Gandhi said that.”