Spring Break
The Daily OrangeFacebook posts cause some colleges to monitor site
SU refrains from screening student accounts
By Ryan Balton
Posted: 4/23/08, 11:38 PM EST Section: News
Hasty postings on Facebook have come back to bite college students around the world, raising the question of how Syracuse University uses the social-networking Web site to conduct judicial affairs.
Violations making the news at other universities in recent months have ranged from academic dishonesty, to threats of violence and underage drinking.
In one case, freshman Chris Avenir at Toronto's Ryerson University, was suspended for creating a Facebook study group in which he and 146 classmates shared tips for chemistry homework questions last fall, according to The Toronto Star. Avenir's professor found the group during their Winter Break.
Last month, 15 members of the track team at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pa., were suspended from a meet after posting photos on Facebook of a drinking party they had while on a trip with the team during Spring Break, according to Slippery Rock's student newspaper, The Rocket.
Rami Badawy, director of the Office of Juddicial Affairs at SU, said there isn't the manpower at SU to monitor students on Facebook, and the university simply doesn't think it's "right." Facebook only plays a role when a student or someone from the Office of Residence Life or Department of Public Safety brings it to the university's attention, he said.
"I hear all the time students are concerned with and students believe the university actively monitors Facebook, and I want to make it clear that is not something the university does," Badawy said. "The only time the university becomes even aware of what's posted on Facebook is if it's brought to our attention in the form of a complaint or another party."
Cases at SU involving Facebook are usually related to harassment, relationship violence and threats, Badawy said.
SU doesn't have the duty to take disciplinary action against students for what they have posted on their accounts but to be proactive in its approach, Badawy said.
When the university became aware of Mayfest party plans posted on Facebook Friday, the Division of Student Affairs distributed literature to remind students to be aware of the local laws and to make sure they are careful and safe, he said.
Violations making the news at other universities in recent months have ranged from academic dishonesty, to threats of violence and underage drinking.
In one case, freshman Chris Avenir at Toronto's Ryerson University, was suspended for creating a Facebook study group in which he and 146 classmates shared tips for chemistry homework questions last fall, according to The Toronto Star. Avenir's professor found the group during their Winter Break.
Last month, 15 members of the track team at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pa., were suspended from a meet after posting photos on Facebook of a drinking party they had while on a trip with the team during Spring Break, according to Slippery Rock's student newspaper, The Rocket.
Rami Badawy, director of the Office of Juddicial Affairs at SU, said there isn't the manpower at SU to monitor students on Facebook, and the university simply doesn't think it's "right." Facebook only plays a role when a student or someone from the Office of Residence Life or Department of Public Safety brings it to the university's attention, he said.
"I hear all the time students are concerned with and students believe the university actively monitors Facebook, and I want to make it clear that is not something the university does," Badawy said. "The only time the university becomes even aware of what's posted on Facebook is if it's brought to our attention in the form of a complaint or another party."
Cases at SU involving Facebook are usually related to harassment, relationship violence and threats, Badawy said.
SU doesn't have the duty to take disciplinary action against students for what they have posted on their accounts but to be proactive in its approach, Badawy said.
When the university became aware of Mayfest party plans posted on Facebook Friday, the Division of Student Affairs distributed literature to remind students to be aware of the local laws and to make sure they are careful and safe, he said.
Be the first to comment on this story