Possibly on purpose. Melinda mentions receiving a Sourhern Michigan catalog, but there is no Southern Michigan University. There is Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Northern Michigan, and Central Michigan, as well as the University of Michigan. The one that is the most southern is the University of Michigan (which has a medical school) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In the video of Sophie in the water, both of her arms are flailing around, but the camera stays steady.