The Hunt for SOU Affirmations
SOU Affirmations quickly turned from a fun loving meme page into the arch nemesis of the university, due to critical posts and hyperbolic statements.
SOU Affirmations is an anonymously ran instagram page that posts comedic meme content related to Southern Oregon University, often identifying things that would be relatable to students and poking fun at some of the school’s quirks. Created in 2021, they have already accrued over 600 followers, with high visibility on campus. They recently came under fire by the institution for posting harsh criticisms and potentially defamatory statements made about SOU.
The page triggered controversy after post like the one above, and many others. Many followers of the page appreciate the forthright critique and others find it childish and exaggerated. There has been investigation from SOU Housing as well as the theater program on campus to find who is running this account, as there is many posts on the account critiquing the quality of on campus housing, dining halls, and targeting specific faculty.
No one knows for sure who runs the account, many think it’s ran by multiple people as they often use “we/us” pronouns in most posts. It is suspected by many that they might be heavily involved in the theater program, as there’s quite a bit of posts critiquing theater professors and the major’s facilities. Many think that this page is just exercising their right to free speech, and isn’t harming anything. Which leaves us with the question, if the school does find out who runs this page, is there anything they can do about it?
The account recently shared a more serious post addressing some of the concerns from administration, restating that their posts are meant to be satyrical and comedic, and that they have no affiliation with SOU. It seemed the efforts from the various groups throughout the school to shut down SOU Affirmations had gotten to the owners of the account. Stating that they want to remain a voice for the students, and will fight any silencing from the school.
Recently the page began selling merch, mostly sporting their “38% Club” branding, which is a nod to the school’s 38 percent graduation rate. All of the proceeds from merch sales are being donated to local Ashland charities, which shows a strong effort to do good with an account that’s accruing quite the infamy on campus.
We may never know who is running it, and if it’s ever revealed there’s no telling the consequences. This is an on going story that changes as the account pokes fun at different controversial topics, and their influence gets bigger and bigger. Whether you believe SOU Affirmations is a detriment, or doing an important service, there’s no denying they’re a polarizing figure in the Raider community.
