You may have noticed or even contributed to a recent flood of posts on your Facebook newsfeed from pages such as “Vandal Crushes,” “UI Confessions,” “Greek Confessions” and “Tower Confessions.” These types of pages can be cute and harmless, especially around Valentine’s Day. But it’s all fun and games until someone crosses the line, and it’s evident the line has been crossed several times.
Explicit sexual references toward, or about, another person on Facebook are highly inappropriate, not to mention disgusting. Many statements on each of these pages cross the line into sexual harassment, cyber bullying or even defamation.
Just because it’s anonymous and appears on a social media platform instead of being said aloud does not make a statement OK, contrary to our generation’s beliefs. This material is potentially libelous and slanderous, just as it would be if it appeared in print or on the air.
Our generation lacks face-to-face communication. We have “serious” conversations via text messages and express our opinions on the Internet. If you feel a certain way about someone, that’s fine. But tell them in person or in private. Don’t confess it to the entire Facebook world.
The bottom line is respect — for others and for our campus.
It can be fun to prank your friends and post on their behalf, and it might be exhilarating to engage in inappropriate behavior around campus. But it’s rude.
The University of Idaho depends on its faculty and staff, who are passionate about higher education and bettering the lives of students. Everyone from administrative to janitorial staff members has a hand in enhancing the student experience. Disrespecting our facilities and campus and bragging about it on Facebook mocks their efforts.
KTVB ran a story Feb. 5 about the “culture of drinking” at UI focusing on UI’s reputation as a party school. These recent Facebook pages fuel the negative stigmas surrounding our campus community.
As UI students, we are part of something larger than ourselves. We are Vandals. Our words and actions reflect the place we call home during our college career.
College is the last stepping-stone to the real world. It is meant to prepare us for adulthood. Participating in this sort of behavior negates that.
And remember that what happens on the Internet stays on the Internet. Family members and potential employers might not appreciate the inappropriate thoughts running through your head.
So keep them to yourself and out of the public sphere.
— BK