Facebook.com appears to be the ideal location for a college student to post pictures of beer pong tournaments, joint passing and never-ending boozing, but looks can be deceiving.
The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry's Undergraduate Student Association circulated e-mails Tuesday to all members of the SUNY-ESF student body detailing concerns that many students' Facebook photographs show them breaking the drug and alcohol policies set forth in SUNY-ESF's Student Code of Conduct.
U.S.A. also expressed concern that students may be posting too much personal information on the Web site, which could be risky.
"Some students will drink and do things against our Student Code of Conduct, regardless of the fact that all ESF students must sign this agreement. But we're worried that they may not even think about what they put on Facebook and how it affects our school," said U.S.A. President Jessica Fox.
USA's letter reminded students that faculty members have access to Facebook, which means such incriminating photographs could be damaging for a student's personal reputation as well.
While the e-mail stated "the ESF administration will not regularly comb Facebook for policy violations," it also made clear there could be repercussions for violations that become problematic.
"My Facebook picture is of me drinking a beer," said Katrina Mattice, a sophomore forest engineering major in SUNY-ESF. "It wasn't even taken at college. If I got in trouble for it that would be ridiculous."
Mattice's concerns may be well-founded. In early November, Cameron Walker, a Fischer College sophomore, became the first student to be expelled for a Facebook-related incident, according to The Brown Daily Herald, Brown University's student newspaper. Walker was guilty of membership in a Facebook group that his college deemed inappropriate.
Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere. At Brandeis University, students' Facebook profiles are reviewed before they are offered campus jobs, and the University of California admittedly takes judicial action for inappropriate photos, according to The Brown Daily Herald.
At the University of Missouri, a student was denied a job at a public high school because of the content of his Facebook account, according to its student newspaper, The Maneater.
While these cases present a more serious angle of Facebook than most students would like to see, Leah Flynn, assistant director of student activities, stresses that the e-mail was merely to spread awareness, and was not a threat.
"We're being proactive for students' safety," Flynn said.
"It was out of the goodness of these students' hearts that the e-mail was sent out. They just wanted to help," she said, referring to members of U.S.A., which she oversees.
Flynn said a central worry of the university, beyond inappropriate pictures, was security.
"Safety is a true concern, because the amount of information given by some students can lead strangers right up to their front door," Flynn said.
The new Facebook option of posting photo albums has students worried as well. Any member of the Facebook community may now post pictures that include other students. If a friend posts pictures of a student, they may appear on that student's profile without his or her consent.
"You shouldn't be able to be punished for someone else posting inappropriate pictures of you. That's out of your hands," said Mike Robinson, a junior wildlife science major at SUNY-ESF. "You'd find this anywhere. The Facebook photos of SUNY-ESF students are no different than those of any other school."
Both Fox and Flynn were hazy on details about what repercussions a student could face for Facebook photos that look more like Budweiser advertisements.
"I'm not positive administration could do anything about it anyway," Fox said. "This is more about addressing the problem before it gets to that level."
When asked what the best possible outcome would be of U.S.A.'s decision to confront this issue, Fox's answer was simple: "awareness."
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