A & M: The Brains Behind CU Problems

Two students, one secret. They might be your friends, your siblings, or complete and utter strangers, but now for the first time ever, they have agreed to be interviewed. I present to you, dear readers, the life and times of CU Problems.

Sitting down with these witty students was out of the question. In order to continue their crusade to make you laugh, smirk, and cry, their identities hd to remain a secret. However, when asked to provide nicknames for themselves, they readily accepted the challenge.

A & M, as they wish to be called, are the brains behind CU Problems for 2013. When last year’s coordinator graduated, it was uncertain as to whether the Twitter account that had helped so many feel understood and supported would continue. Thankfully, it did and now, it’s better than ever.

The two were fittingly chosen via social media, through a contest on Facebook and Twitter where the former CU Problems coordinator, Carleton law grad Brunelle Lewis, asked candidates to submit three posts. 

“She [the former CU Problems coordinator] posted them, and people voted, and we had the most votes,” said A&M.

Both of them are ecstatic to have a hand in projecting Carleton’s image to the wider community of the internet and so far the experience has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We jumped right into it and haven’t had any big struggles or anything,” said A & M. “It was exciting to get to be a voice of the student body. It’s always fun to post things and get a lot of people liking or retweeting it. It makes it feel like you pinpointed something that is a problem for more than just us.”

CU Problems is meant to connect with the general population of students, meaning that A & M are working to make many people smile in just under 140 characters. Maybe that is why when asked to define their Twitter in three words they chose, “Badass, amusing, and sexy.”  

Both of our mystery coordinators are from the Ottawa area, so when it came to choosing universities they felt that there was only one choice of school. 

“Who wants to go to Ottawa U?” they said.

Since the Carleton student body is quite large and diverse, CU Problems is always thinking about how to make someone smile without crossing any lines.

“Because it’s anonymous, we don’t have to worry as much about offending people with the words we use, but we try to make sure nothing goes too far,” said A & M.  

Some of their favourite and most relatable tweets include, “It feels like Ottawa is trying to be just like Katy Perry. #hot #cold #CUProblems #OttawaProblems.” and, “It’s like Carleton tunnel hot out there. #CUProblems #OttawaProblems.”

“[The latter] was one of our first posts, and we weren’t sure how much response we’d get because it was still summertime. The post was retweeted, favourited, shared, and we gained a lot of new followers so it was an exciting way to start the takeover,” said M.

Finally, when asked why everyone should follow CU Problems, both A & M responded with common veins of thought.

“People should follow us because we passive-aggressively post about all the problems people have with Carleton, but don’t voice on their own. There are some problems every student shares, and we try to find a humorous way to share it,” said A.

“Hopefully we’re relatable and funny. We try to take everyday campus struggles and turn them into something witty that everyone can enjoy. University can suck, but it’s better if you can laugh about it,” said M.

So if you’re in for a laugh, or just need a break from finals, take a quick trip over to the CU Problems Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Thank you A & M for making university life just a little more bearable and enjoyable.  They’ll make you laugh, they might even make you cry, but in the end they get you, because they’re Ravens too.