The Brown & White

JuicyCampus opened to Lehigh University, along with 184 other schools, on Sept. 10 benignly enough with the first post: "You have JuicyCampus...Use It!!!"

Ten days later, a thread about freshmen girls sparked and soon the gossip flames had spread into posts slamming individuals, Greek houses and other campus groups.

JuicyCampus is a Web site that enables anyone to post anonymously on gossip message boards. Although it's only been around for 14 months, the site is currently connected to more than 450 college campuses.

Founder and Duke University graduate, Matt Ivester, has argued on the site's public blog that JuicyCampus does not violate any laws. Prior to entering the site, users have to click a disclaimer box stating that the user is 18 years of age.

JuicyCampus has stated on its blog that, "it cannot be held liable for the manner in which it enforces its terms and conditions."

Late last week John Smeaton, vice provost of student affairs, received an anonymous phone call from a parent and a call from a student expressing concern over comments made on the site. Smeaton said he has since received several phone calls and e-mails from concerned students.

While perusing the site, Smeaton said he noticed three categories of comments. The first kind he coined as innocuous and silly. The second type was people taking a stance against the nasty comments.

"And then there's that third category," Smeaton said, "of just nasty, vile, reprehensible comments, the hurtful comments that I don't understand."

Student Senate President, Divya Nayar, '10, said JuicyCampus has had such an impact on Lehigh because it is a smaller, tight-knit community.

"Slandering people we know is not what Lehigh stands for," she said.

Smeaton said his first conversations were with Bruce Taggart, vice provost for Library and Technology Services, about blocking the Web site from the Lehigh network.

They decided that students would find ways around it and that blocking may actually peak more interest in the site, Smeaton said.

"And then there's the philosophical question: Is it our job to prevent students from accessing this? Or is it really our job to help educate and to engage students in the conversation about what's appropriate behavior in our community?" Smeaton said.

Ultimately, the administration decided the most effective strategy is to use students to engage other students in not posting harmful comments on the site.

Nayar said that blocking the Web site is probably not a good option.

"It is a forum of free speech," she said. "The best way is to refrain from using it."

One female student, who asked to remain anonymous, was talked about on the site while she was away this past weekend. When she returned to school, her friends told her that there was an entire thread defaming her.

"This is just a medium for students who don't have the courage to say something to somebody's face," she said. "The fact that somebody would waste their time trying to spread a rumor on a gossip Web site is pathetic."

She said that although the subject of the post was negative, the majority of the comments were positive.

"Still, it felt really uncomfortable being discussed so much," she said.

Just because the site promises anonymity, that doesn't mean posts on the site are without repercussions. If a thread is posted on the Web site that rises to a criminal level, Smeaton said a subpoena must be issued for JuicyCampus to give the connection information of the poster. The case would then be dealt as harassment or any other criminal violation.

If a comment violates the student code of conduct, university officials have decided to get involved.

"A challenge, frankly, would be to identify the person," Smeaton said. But if there was ample evidence available to identify the poster, Smeaton said the student would be pursued vigorously through Lehigh's internal discipline system.

Interfraternity Council president Bobby Buckheit, '09, and Panhellenic Council president Nikki Buscemi, '09, sent an e-mail to all Greek presidents denouncing JuicyCampus. Buckheit said that JuicyCampus has actually made the Lehigh community stronger as partnerships among organizations have formed that have not been there in the past. The student groups have coalesced in working towards a positive.

The Council of Student Presidents worked about the site that is published in this newspaper.

"It may seem idealistic, it may seem utopian, but it's honestly the best way to get the message out there," Buckheit said.

This statement is just one step in improving the situation that JuicyCampus has caused, Butckheit said.

JuicyCampus is a familiar concept to students at schools where the Web site has been around longer. Callan Smith, a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, said that when JuicyCampus arrived to their school in February, everyone talked about it, but within a week the phenomenon exploded.

"It progressed into something more personal and malicious," Smith said.

Smith said there was no official reaction from UPenn administration, but JuicyCampus was talked about a lot in the school newspapers.

After a month, Smith said, comments started targeting minorities on campus and it completely died down.

"I haven't heard anyone say anything about it in five or six months," she said.

Buckheit and Smeaton expressed hope that JuicyCampus is just a fad and that students will be mature and ignore the site.

"Let's engage the students, for whom this is their community," Smeaton said, "And take charge if this is unacceptable behavior, which I certainly believe it is. If you believe that, then you have the power to influence others. And let's use that."