Facebook pages intended to create a positive vibe at CLU have caused stress for several students who are afraid they could be the next victims of cyber bullying.

“You get on, and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, please don’t have anything about me.’ It’s really scary,” said sophomore Kelsey Johnson. “We didn’t want to go on them because we were paranoid that there was something about us, so I think it could make people not want to go to school.”

Bill Rosser, dean of students at California Lutheran University, recently sent out a campus-wide email concerning three different Facebook pages that included anonymous comments about other students on campus.

Rosser and the CLU administration had concern that sexual harassment and cyber bullying was taking place. Currently, two Facebook pages, CLU Confessions and CLUt’s have been taken down, while the third page, CLU Compliments, remains in operation.

“Instead of complimenting people for doing nice things at CLU, when CLU Confessions started, it was all about, ‘Oh guess who slept with who,’” said senior Jacob Garcia. “I noticed that social media was taking a different route towards CLU.”

“This may be the first in a long series of things we want to do about education of these cyber issues,” said Rosser. “When CLU students are being harassed by any means, that is of issue to us, and we want to address it.”

Rosser said the administration also wanted to address the issue of posting anonymously.

“A part of our identities now are also the way we are presenting ourselves online,” said Rosser. “People may not realize how public, or how accessible, or how easily these things are forwardable. You really have to be careful.”

Rosser said he had students thank him and the university for addressing this issue.

Salma Loo, senior coordinator for Residence Life and Student Conduct, agrees that students should be careful about what they put online because it could resurface in the future and cause problems.

“You don’t want to have your name attached to those things. You’re not anonymous even when you think you are,” said Loo.

“When you’re going to go apply for a job, one of the first things people do is Google your name. These things can come back to get you. If it’s on the Internet, it’s out there forever.”

Faculty and students think that the pages could be a good idea, if they are done correctly and without harassment.

“I think pages like CLU Compliments can be a really great thing when it’s done positively,” said Loo. “I think that it can very easily turn hateful if it’s not done right.”

Rosser said the people who created pages such as CLU Compliments had good intentions.

Garcia, among other students, likes the idea of having a webpage to be able to write compliments about CLU, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.

“I think the CLU Compliments page is nice and a good way to say things about people that you don’t know,” said sophomore Natalie Stone. “It was one thing that started out nice and blew up.”

Rosser and the administration at CLU want to make sure students are aware that these pages are not regulated by the university.

If any students feel like they are being cyber bullied or sexually harassed, they can go to any member in the Residence Life and Student Conduct Team, including Rosser and Loo for advice and assistance.

Heather Ford
Staff Writer
Published April 24, 2013