Friday, September 30, 2005

Web site puts students at risk

School officials warn popular Facebook.com carries potential for stalking, harassment.

By Sarah Schweitzer / Boston Globe

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Last school year, Brandeis University junior Emily Aronoff tapped this sentiment into a computer: "I enjoy the festive greens."

The reference to marijuana became part of her profile on Facebook.com, the online student catalog that allows Aronoff and tens of thousands of collegians to share photos and idiosyncratic odds and ends of their lives, intended for viewing by other students.

But others were reading as well -- including "an individual in the community," she said, who shared the reference with her parents in Marietta, Ga. Eventually, word reached her grandmother.

She "told me her seniors home was abuzz with the news," Aronoff said, "and I was like: 'I hate the Facebook.' "

As the Facebook has become a phenomenon at schools nationwide -- a virtual bible for campus socializing and networking -- the unintended consequences of overly comprehensive, brutally frank, or mischievous entries are surfacing.

Colleges and universities are increasingly taking steps to help students avoid pitfalls -- most critically, those that put students at risk for stalking and harassment.

Meanwhile, Brandeis held an hour-long seminar last week on Facebook savvy, recommending safety tips, but also telling students to consider future employers, professors, or family members who might read Facebook entries. Indeed, some Brandeis administrators said at the meeting -- to open-mouthed reactions of students attending -- that they have begun reading Facebook entries before hiring a student for campus positions.

School officials noted that they are in an odd position when it comes to the Facebook. The online site is privately operated and not officially affiliated with colleges or universities. Some administrators say they believe the site should be a student domain in which young people feel free to express themselves in language and photos that are authentic representations, and not dressed up for adult eyes.

Yet, administrators say they feel some obligation to ensure students do not unintentionally step into an online minefield, such as the rants or brusque language on blogs, personal Web sites, and public message boards that have led some businesses to fire or discipline employees.

"It's not appropriate for us to be policing the site," said Alwina Bennett, the associate dean of students at Brandeis. "But we do need to educate them about how to make good choices and foresee consequences."

The scope of Facebook's impact may not be felt for years to come.

"I would put money on a political candidate -- probably 20 years from now -- getting in hot water on account of something posted on Facebook," said Steve Jones, a communications professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.