GLORIA SHELLER
Contributing Writer
With the addition of Pepperdine to JuicyCampus.com, students have hit an all-time low. The gossip Web site, founded in October 2007, has only a small list of other pathetic gossip-loving schools including Duke, Loyola Marymount, UCLA and USC.
It’s absurd to think that Pepperdine students, who supposedly lead lives of purpose, service and leadership, have nothing better to do with their time than look at and spread campus gossip, if you can even call it that.
The site is designed to allow students to use their First Amendment rights and voice their opinions on college happenings. It encourages other talk as well — music, news, and other issues — but without asking bloggers to be so brave as to tack their name on their thoughts.
The site’s motto even promises, “Always anonymous… always juicy.”
The site is in its Beta stage, which means it is still developing software and being evaluated.
If anyone has ever been to the Web site, it does not take long to realize that nothing about it promotes discussion of music or news. The site provokes its users saying, “C’mon. Give us the juice.” Sounds professional. Sounds like they really want to hear about who is topping the Billboard charts.
Students must remember that posting their thoughts on the Internet makes their comments accessible not only to fellow Pepperdine students, but also to anyone else who might be on the Web.
Spreading rumors through word of mouth is bad enough, but making it so millions of people can view these rumors online is a terrifying thought.
Under the terms of the Web site, bloggers are not to post anything that is “unlawful, threatening, abusive, tortuous, defamatory, obscene, libelous, or invasive of another’s privacy.”
In reality, most of the items posted are complete bashings of individuals, Greek groups and even administrators.
Some such posts include “Why I hate Pepperdine and all of you,” and the “sluttiest sorority.” There is even a post about an alleged “knight,” a phantom of sorts, who roams around campus at night. Like most Pepperdine students, he is a “socialite” and “very well dressed.” Must be a really original guy.
All posts can be and are excessively commented on, most of the time with untrue or completely incompetent responses.
The responses are very obscene and invasive to other’s privacy but the Web site operators and users must not have read the term and conditions page.
I don’t know about any other students, but who actually has the time to sit around and think about who is the most promiscuous girl at school? Don’t you have studying to do?
After contacting the Web site’s founder and Duke graduate, Matt Ivester, I learned they are going to “continue improving the site’s technology and expanding to more and more campuses.”
The concept of the site is fairly admirable. Having an anonymous student forum for people to discuss anything they want seems like a good idea. When people take it so far as to point out possible homosexual fraternities or starting a rumor that someone has had an abortion, its merit is lost.
The site has created a buzz around campus. With an easy link from the all too popular Facebook, students can be seen checking the juice in class, the library, and even while eating dinner in the Caf.
Pepperdine students must know that gossiping is for middle school children. This isn’t just the Peppervine anymore. These bloggers are seriously denouncing people’s names and jeopardizing their credibility.
01-17-2008
