IG account @xu.updates has taken the helm when talking about Xavier news
By Kayla Ross, Back Page Editor
Campus continues to be updated via the comedic @xu.updates Instagram account. The account is dedicated to updates about Xavier’s campus that may or may not be factual.
The account’s bio reads, “The Unofficial Official News of Xavier University. New semester, same laughs.”
The account satirizes real news about Xavier’s campus and turns them into memes.
On Father B’s birthday last week, the account posted a meme that reads, “Father B celebrates his 96th birthday today. When asked what his big plans were for the day, he responded with ‘Checkmate, Elizabeth’ and then ate a cookie from his hat.”
The account was created because the owner, who has not been revealed, felt that their idea was very unique and could be successful among Xavier students.
“I started this account because I ran something very similar to it back in high school. Back then, we didn’t have a Newswire or any source of media that everyone consumed. So, my friend came up with the original idea to make an updates account in the style of weekend update. Sort of parodying news around school. This is just a continuing idea from that,” the owner said.
The account was started in July 2022 and has gained more than 770 followers since, all beginning with a post poking fun at the required modules for students that must be completed before returning to campus.
The account has at least one notable follower: Dr. Colleen Hanycz, President of Xavier University.
The owner of the account welcomes their following, saying, “I welcome larger public figures to follow the page. I’m not afraid to speak my mind about subjects on this campus, and I think bigger figures should see different views, even if these views are layered into a joke.”
The account has made more than 100 posts, all centered around satirizing Xavier news. Most posts get several reshares on the Instagram stories of Xavier students or Xavier fans.
Parody Xavier Instagram account @xu.updates has amassed almost 800 followers in just one school year with their sarcastic updates about current Xavier topics. Topics range from food on campus to basketball games and even is followed by Dr. Colleen Hanycz, Xavier University President.
Even though the owner has gained quite the following, they do not plan on coming forward with their identity any time soon.
“When (a similar account) started at my high school, we ran anonymously to avoid getting in trouble. Nowadays, I run updates anonymously to avoid people coming to me with ideas or asking me questions about running the page when I’m trying to be a normal student,” the account owner said.
The account does not plan on slowing down and only continues to grow. New content is posted about twice a week, typically centering around sports or other campus events.
“My future goals are to continue producing. The thing with updates is that they are solely based on relevant news so my goal is to keep up on the news. As far as future big plans, we’ll just have to see,” they said.
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