Freezing temperatures have swept across the Midwest, bringing with them a plethora of two-hour delays and cancellations.

For many students, faculty and staff this means staying warm and indoors while the roads are too slick for travel, but for Xavier’s Marketing and Communications Director, Mr. Nick Ireland, the fun is just beginning.

While other schools in the area have shared comical clips on various online platforms in order to lift spirits and raise awareness of weather-related cancellations and delays, Mr. Ireland has come up with a quick and easy way to make Xavier families smile.

Using Photoshop, Mr. Ireland has created a handful of memes to inform students of weather-related setbacks by combining a popular phenomenon with familiar faces from the Xavier community.

“I first saw them on Twitter, and thought it was a fun way to announce a two-hour delay or cancellation,” Xavier junior Paige Loney said. “I think my favorite has to be the most recent X-Men one.”

Although snow days and two-hour delays can often serve as a break for students, the missing instructional hours then get tacked onto the end of the school year.

“I personally despise winter, especially winter in Iowa,” Mr. Ireland said. “This was just a way to squeeze a tiny bit of joy out of what, to me, is a pretty joyless time of the year weather-wise.”

It is evident that administrators like Mr. Ireland, make the most out of the dreary conditions and take time out of their busy schedules to go the “xtra mile” to make Xavier a learning institution that is not above having fun.