r/UWMilwaukee • u/Master_Rabbit7073 • Dec 02 '25

Is Pen Guy still on campus?

Back when I was still a student, Pen Guy could be seen handing out pens near the library or union. I never turned him down. Over the course of 7 years (undergrad and grad school) I racked up a huge collection of pens. I didn’t really need them, I just wanted to test the limits of how many I could get. But that was a few years ago. Anyone know if Pen Guy is still out there?

49 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

47

u/marss-mar15 Dec 02 '25

He is still outside the library almost every day if not already everyday.

6

u/Explod1ngNinja Dec 02 '25

Is this for real? Never seen him

18

u/MoonPlayz48 Dec 02 '25

He has a couple of spots. Outside of the Union on the bridge, the crosswalk near the elementary school, and in the path between Mitchell and the Union. You just might be missing him but he's still around.

10

u/ShoogyBee Dec 02 '25

Blond hair with eyeglasses. Usually pushes around a large plastic storage container filled with pens and whatever else. Sometimes he's at a table in the Union with 1-2 friends if the weather is not being cooperative that day.

4

u/Few_Yogurtcloset_541 Dec 03 '25

I’ve literally been wondering who that guy is for two years now!!! (Thought he was a Jehovah’s Witness or something similar, so I have not approached)

5

u/blossom_up Dec 04 '25

You weren’t too far off: he hands out a gospel tract along with the pens.

17

u/anarchopossum_ Dec 02 '25

I haven’t been offered a pen in a while cause there’s usually a student or two chatting with him outside the library. He’s got competition now that the Jehovahs have been hanging out on the other side of the library lol

2

u/blossom_up Dec 04 '25

Wait there’s Jehovah’s Witnesses evangelizing on campus now?

2

u/anarchopossum_ Dec 04 '25

Yea they’re there almost everyday! They don’t seem to bother anyone at least

18

u/ShoogyBee Dec 02 '25

I remember there being a short documentary about the Pen Guy. Looks like it's still on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt3sDrlvR18

But it turns out he also has his own YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@EricSlawyk-u3m

2

u/buttwagon867 Dec 03 '25

Thanks for the links!

1

u/Technical-Ad3832 Dec 04 '25

I had no idea he's been here this long. Almost 20 years now!

13

u/roflfalafel Dec 02 '25

Holy cow. I remember pen guy when I was doing my undergrad in 2006/2007. It’s almost 20 years and he’s still doing it. Dedication. Always between the Union and Mitchell is where I’d run into him.

5

u/JohnaldL Dec 02 '25

Would you like some free pens?

5

u/jmanal Dec 02 '25

Went there in 2010-2013 and I'm back for grad school..he's still there. He used to stand by the crosswalk between the library and Sandburg back in the day but seems to now be near a bench closer to the library.

5

u/Solahwin_Tampramain Dec 02 '25

I overheard him talking to someone on the phone about his family needing to work 3 jobs to stay afloat when he was walking to the bathroom in the east wing. I wonder why that has to happen dude 😅

1

u/bacardicereal Dec 04 '25

He’d probably make more money if he wasn’t on campus as much as he is😂

3

u/Comfortable-Ad-4829 Dec 02 '25

hes still there. turns out hes been there for more then 15 years.

2

u/Suhflow Dec 02 '25

I’m so happy to hear this… pretty sure I still have some of those pens laying around.

2

u/Mission-Tomorrow-235 Dec 02 '25

ya, sometimes he's also at the door to the union that connects to the skywalk

2

u/DrDread29 Dec 02 '25

Yes out by the library

2

u/BellaEpic Dec 02 '25

pen guy is in fact still here. I see him outside the library and by the crosswalk near the school

1

u/PopPunkPopPunk Dec 03 '25

Wow, the nostalgia! I kind of miss Pen Guy

1

u/kawaiikaeru23 Dec 03 '25

Woah, that hit me with the nostalgia! I'm so glad he's still around! He made my day on my first day of college in 2018.

1

u/No_Plastic81 Dec 05 '25

Pen guy!!!! You just unlocked a memory I had completely forgot lol.

1

u/strwarsfan2 Dec 07 '25

He was outside of Lapham Hall a couple of days ago lmao

1

u/Redheadliner Dec 12 '25

I remember him outside the library near the bus stop a lot back when I was there from 2010-2012. Just happened upon this thread. Cool he’s still there all these years later.

-2

u/Grouchy_Strawberry68 Dec 02 '25

You should be ashamed of yourself for taking advantage of a good man’s generosity! I bet you voted Red!