How college confessions pages affect students and schools

Within just a few weeks of being created, the Idaho State Confessions page on Facebook has roughly 630 likes – more student involvement than you’ll see at just about any club, organization or sporting event affiliated with campus.

Though some of the “confessions” are obvious jokes or harmless admissions of a crush, others accuse campus groups of malicious actions or admit to potentially dangerous and illegal activity (knowingly spreading STDs??).

I’ll be the first to admit that I find the page entertaining. It’s always fun to discuss the latest post with friends or try to figure out if you may know an anonymous confessor. At its core I would hope the Confessions page is meant to let students divulge innocent truths, for example, students checking out their Spanish teacher.

Unfortunately I think the page has the potential to go quite the opposite way, which could lead to some serious repercussions.

Thus far, I’m proud of Idaho State students for sticking up for themselves and others in the face of anonymous accusations, even when it means putting their names and faces on the line. I think it says a lot about the character of those students and the hard work and pride they put into their activities and our university.

I’ve seen screenshots of confessions from other universities’ pages that not only blow my mind but also ensure that I would never set foot on those campuses. At worst these have included allegations of sexual assault that have been rudely and disgustingly dismissed by other students who choose to berate the victim rather than offering support or help for him or her.

I sincerely hope the Idaho State Confessions page never follows suit, and if it does I would also hope our students continue to show the backbone and support they’ve already displayed for one another.

Though it’s impossible to tell who the page’s administrators or “confessors” are, I hope they’ll keep in mind not only how ISU is coming across to other students but also the impression the page could give off to potential students, staff, faculty and employers.

While it may seem fun to trash the university, the girls on your floor, or campus life in general while you’re attending, social media has a way of coming back to bite you. Promoting a bad reputation for ISU in any way is completely counterintuitive in my mind, especially if the reputation starts to stick and you’re stuck with a degree from a joke of a university.

At the end of the day, I’m all for fun and I hope to see Idaho State Confessions continue to be a source of legitimate, harmless entertainment for students.

Have you got your own confession about Idaho State Confessions? Leave it on our Facebook at facebook.com/isubengal or email it to me at ude.usinull@feihcgb.