The UW-Platteville’s beloved mascot, Pioneer Pete, has fallen into some hot water after the leak of his OnlyFans.

The current Pioneer Pete mascot has been the official face of UW-Platteville’s since 2012. In 2011, a survey taken by nearly 5,000 students, staff and alumni showed that the Pioneer scored a 90% favorable rank in almost every question.

The UW-Platteville’s news page on the official website describes the trials and tribulations of obtaining Pioneer Pete as a mascot, stating, “…contrary to long-standing beliefs that derailed previous mascot efforts, 92% of the 1,964 female respondents found the Pioneer to be ‘non-offensive.’”

Clearly, the university wanted to avoid any form of controversy with its mascot, and they put a lot of effort into trying to anticipate community responses. One of the things the university did not anticipate, however, was the pure, raw and unadulterated sex appeal of the mascot. Any event Pioneer Pete attended would skyrocket in numbers, as flocks of his lustful, rabid fans would surge forward, begging for pictures and autographs.

At first the university attempted to quiet these fans, as they were worried about the image it might bring to the school. However, after seeing the increasing enrollment numbers, they began to take advantage of the newfound popularity of their mascot as a sex symbol.

This all culminated in 2020, when, to increase funding during the pandemic, UW-Platteville rolled out a new way to raise funding: Pioneer Pete’s official OnlyFans.

In 2021; out of 300 students interviewed by the Antagonist, 96% of them stated they were subscribed to Pioneer Pete’s OnlyFans. After the interview, many of those not subscribed could be seen downloading the app and entering their credit card information.

After the launch of the account, funding for the university skyrocketed, instantly making UW-Platteville the most profitable public university in the state overnight. Unfortunately, as of last Thursday, the tragic leak of Pioneer Pete’s OnlyFans has shaken the community.

Screenshots of the OnlyFans were leaked to the Twitter account “PapaPete.” The account was promptly removed after outraged UW-Platteville students took to the app. At that point, however, it was too late, as #PioneerPete was trending along with #PapaPete, #clapthataxe and #IMMOVINGTOPVEGAS.

Tenured English Professor, Chip Cordon stated how they personally “felt cheated after spending all that money on the OnlyFans” while others “got it for free.”

A Twitter user under the name “The_Dennis_Playroom” stated that they personally loved the leak as they could finally “witness Pioneer Pete in his full glory for free.”

However, many people, specifically the university administration, are not happy about the leak. Administration officials stated that there will be “tough decisions” in the upcoming months, as the first week of the OnlyFans has put the university in a $9.7-million deficit.

If the decline in funding continues its downward spiral, there is a risk that UW-Platteville could lose a potential $29 million in revenue by the end of the year.

This has startled many school administrations, as the OnlyFans account has been the only thing keeping the university afloat. Drastic changes are expected to be made, with rumors circulating that budgets for the Art Department are going to be cut to make room for a new degree program, spearheaded by Pioneer Pete himself.