The anonymity of @leeuni_memes
Since 2023, the anonymous creator behind the Instagram account @leeuni_memes has been giving Lee University students a voice through memes about the Lee experience.
Drawing their inspiration from a childhood favorite @memesforjesus and former university meme pages, the creator uses the account as a creative outlet to poke fun at small absurdities they’ve noticed around campus.
“Our mascot is a viking, but we are the flames. Einstein's Bagels has an all nighter sandwich, but they close at 3:00 in the afternoon," the creator said. “I like to point out just kind of the silly stuff around Lee.”
The account often highlights Lee students’ shared experiences like dining at the cafeteria and prolonged study sessions in Squires library while incorporating humor.
“I like to think of my account as kind of representing how students see Lee as opposed to how faculty sees Lee,” the creator said.
The creator of @leeuni_memes believes they are the last person one would suspect to run the page. However, they delight in their anonymity because it allows for more creative freedom.
The account posts memes pre-designed by students as well as original content. The creation process for these memes is generally straightforward, pulling from the Lee experience – both the polished and unfiltered experience.
When creating content, @leeuni_memes is careful to avoid offense.
“If you'll notice, I never make fun of any chapel speakers or services,” the creator said. “I will never post anything about a class or anybody in there.”
Like any other creator, @leeuni_memes faces writer’s block and the weariness of repetition and continuously producing satire content. But more often than not, they enjoy the process as much as the audience.
“I'm laughing just as hard at those memes as anybody else is,” the creator said.
Matthew Shackleford, a senior at Lee, said the account’s creator does not seem like they are "trying to put down Lee at all or downplay the main Lee experience. It's just seeing things as you would if you were one of the Lee students."
Dursun Asik, a 2025 Lee graduate, explained the account does not hold back, poking fun at anything on campus.
“In all fairness, they say it like it is,” said Asik. “I think their best stuff is their satire.”
Asik explained he especially enjoys the connectivity the page brings for alumni.
“It still makes me feel connected even though I'm far away,” Asik said. “You know, it's like a phone call to catch up with a friend.”
@leeuni_memes gives professors a glimpse into students’ lives as well.
Dr. Justin Walker, associate professor of Old Testament and Christian ministry at Lee, said he enjoys the memes because they offer insight into students' interesting conversations.
"The memes help me realize what students are interested in, what they're all corporately experiencing, what's making them laugh, what about Lee University is wonderful and also frustrating. It just helps me to live in their world quite a bit in ways that I don't necessarily get to see without the jokes,” Walker said.
Walker appreciates the “spiritual gift of sarcasm” the creator has used to edify the university community.
“I think it's a way of making light of the wonderful and frustrating things of what it means to be a university community,” Walker said. “Thank you for your ministry @leeuni_memes creators.”
The world may never the creator’s identity.
“I thought about revealing who I was; I'm still mixed on that, but I think it just stops when I graduate,” the creator said.
Follow @leeuni_memes to enjoy the community content while it lasts.
