St. Olaf's Twitter account has an impersonator

I read this article yesterday about how college presidents around the country were being impersonated on Twitter. (It's in my link roundup today.) People apparently create accounts -- often satirical accounts -- with a president's name and then post snarky or goofy (and sometimes serious) comments.

Then, while writing about St. Olaf College yesterday, I got a message from school spokesman David Gonnerman, who may have seen that my post was picked up by St. Olaf's Twitter account.

Or not:

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Just so you know, this (which isn't badly done) isn't our official Twitter account. This is.

(I checked it out -- and sheepishly realized that I'd been following the wrong site. But after reading the article, I can take comfort in the fact that I'm not the only one who's been hosed.)

[image]

The Real McCoy

The account displays the mantra "Let's go Oles! Um! Yah! Yah!" and spits out an assortment of college-related tweets and bits of news. It's not really a parody account, but gives the feel of a pep rally at times, compared to the more professional, official account:

Lol! RT @Magmats: St. Olaf quad + 65 degrees = PASTY FLESH EVERYWHEREEEEEE

Alright all, you caught us - Emma Watson really is transferring to St. Olaf!!! OMG! (cc: @RobertsEmma) #AprilFools

There should be no question!! RT @HarleeSuperstar: Accepted Colleges: Oberlin, Bard, Brandeis, St. Olaf...#FML WHERE DO I GO?

I asked Gonnerman who'd set it up and whether the account ever created problems, and he told me:

I don't know who set this one up, but I suspect it might be a student. No problems yet, and I've even retweeted some of its material.

So do any other Minnesota colleges and universities have unofficial accounts?