Campus critters take center stage on mysterious social media pages
By Jake Ervin, Senior Reporter
Northwestern students have seen the school’s squirrels a lot, but not just on campus.
Students can find images of these furry little rodents on their social media feeds thanks to anonymously operated Twitter and Instagram accounts dedicated to sharing pictures of the squirrels captured on camera around the Alva campus.
The squirrel fan pages can be found at “squirrels_of_nwosu” on Instagram and “@NWOSUSquirrels” on Twitter. Not only can members of the Northwestern community view and share these posts, but they can also submit their own pictures to be posted.
The managers of the accounts did not immediately reply to requests for comment from the Northwestern News. The managers have even posted jokes about their mysterious identities.
“Due to people asking who runs this page, here’s a few selfies of me,” one Instagram post read. Attached were photos that show squirrels taking pictures of themselves.
While most people don’t know who runs the accounts, the accounts have caught the attention of students. The Instagram account has amassed 106 followers since the first post was made in October.
“Seeing the squirrels on my Instagram is always so fun,” social work major Jenna Maier said. “It definitely brightens my day.”
Agriculture major Braylon Bradt said: “The page makes me smile. I enjoy seeing the campus’ squirrels even when I’m not there.”
College fan pages dedicated to squirrels seem to be a phenomenon elsewhere, too.
At college campuses across the country, students have started social media pages dedicated to their schools’ squirrel population and have gained thousands of followers.
To the dismay of their followers, the Northwestern squirrel pages have not made new posts since Dec. 24, which has left some students concerned that the operators of the accounts may have graduated or transferred colleges. However, the semester is still young, and students say they’re hopeful for future posts from the squirrel-centric pages.