By Kaitlin Woolery
Staff Writer
St. Michael’s College has multiple Instagram accounts that document different programs that take place at the school, but are you aware of the several student-run meme accounts dedicated to all things Saint Michael’s? These accounts provide a fun and creative medium for students to share ideas, photos, and opinions pertaining to the college. They are growing in number and popularity.
There are multiple meme pages that have been created, such as st.yikes, alliotpizza, and smcsqurlz. These accounts have their own purpose, displaying different aspects of student life on campus. I was able to contact the owners through direct messages.
The st.yikes’ Instagram account, run by four students who remain anonymous through the use of emojis, decided that a meme account needed to be created for Saint Michael’s. They noticed that surrounding schools had such memes. “We’re both following the Make UV Groovy Meme page and we noticed a lack of meme pages for St Mikes, so we decided that needed to be fixed,” said one of the admins who goes by the name of Frenchy. The admins create some of the memes that are posted, while other students are also welcome to submit their own.
Alliotpizza’s Instagram dedicates its page to the pizza that is served every day located in the dining hall at Alliot. The posts include updates and the different types of pizza as well as other students’ appreciation for it. Two students run this account. “We’re just two girls who really love Alliot’s pizza and we thought, why not make an Instagram for it,” said one of the student owners. When I asked the names of the two girls who ran the account, they explained that they did not wish to reveal their identities and would remain anonymous.
St. Michael’s College is known for its crazed squirrels, resulting in the creation of multiple meme accounts to capture their absurd behavior. The most popular of these pages being smcsqurlz. Students are able to share photos and videos of squirrels. Most of the photos feature these critters either sitting on a branch, burrowing in the snow, rummaging through trash cans, or even latching onto window screens. This meme account provides students with entertainment and an avenue to showcase their photography skills.
St. Michael’s Marketing Department’s Digital Marketing Strategist, Caitlin Lei, is aware of these accounts and commented on them during an interview via email. “ We think these accounts show that our students have a creative and passionate student body with a sense of humor. These accounts also show that our students care about not only their experience here at Saint Michael’s College but also the experiences of their peers,” said Lei.