JuicyCampus

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JuicyCampus.com is a website focusing on gossip, rumors, and rants related to colleges and universities in the United States.

The site describes itself as an enabler of "online anonymous free speech on college campuses." Through various services such as IP cloaking and offering of anonymous IP servers, it allows users to post messages and comments without possibility of identification. Readers can vote on which posts they find "juiciest," or most provocative. As of March 16, 2008 the site contains rumors for 59 colleges and universities.[1] Much of its content is related to fraternities and sororities.[2][1]

The creator of JuicyCampus, identified in a The Chronicle of Higher Education article as a Duke University alumnus named Matt Ivester,[3] described the website as within a trend of "gossip 2.0." The 2005 Duke graduate said that he sees the trend as "pretty entertaining."[1] Timothy Chester, chief information officer of Pepperdine University, described the purpose of JuicyCampus in a letter written to Google as to create a "virtual bathroom wall' for abusive, degrading, and hateful speech."[3]

Contents

[edit] History

The website began operation in August 2007.[3]

On December 8, 2007 from a computer at Loyola Marymount University, a student allegedly posted a threat to shoot random students on the campus' "Alumni Mall". The quote reads, "I am going to shoot and kill as many people as I can until which time I am incapacitated or killed by the police." The Los Angeles Police Department apprehended the suspect, junior civil engineering major Carlos Huerta. The police released Huerta without filing charges. The message was originally posted on the website 4chan.[4][5][6] In addition, in March 2008 an individual allegedly posted a message described by The New York Times as "wondering if he could get his classes canceled by starting a shooting spree." Police found Colgate University junior George So, arrested him, charged him with second-degree aggravated harassment, and released him on $1,000 United States dollars bail.[7]

[edit] Controversy

JuicyCampus has received media attention for its damaging potential. CNN released an article documenting the anonymous rumors on the website and the panic supposedly felt by some students.[8]

Ivester hides his identity and other information and did not respond to e-mails and interview requests.[9] Laurence Moneta, the vice president for student affairs at Duke University said that when asked Ivester to moderate the website Ivester refused and indicated that he enjoyed the publicity.[3] The Chronicle of Higher Education said that "the site revels in the publicity it gets" and that the website keeps a list of websites, including those that are critical of JuicyCampus in a blog.[3] Ivester, a 2005 Duke graduate, said on his website's official blog that "Hate isn’t juicy," and attached an exculpatory note written by his legal team.[1]

In January 2008 the undergraduate student government at Pepperdine University passed a resolution asking for a block on the site.[3][10] The administration did not enact the block. Austin Maness, a Pepperdine senior who wrote the resolution, said that he felt that the move was "a mistake" as it increased awareness of the website.[1] The administration of Pepperdine complained to Google; Daniel Rubin, a Google spokesman, said that Google removed JuicyCampus from its advertising network due to "excessive profanity." As of 2008 JuicyCampus is using another advertising network.[3] Texas Christian University students asked advertisers to not buy space on the website.[10] Other University student leaders have also begun to speak out against the site and its affect on their respective college campuses.

In March 2008, New Jersey prosecutors subpoenaed the website's records in an investigation into what they claimed was consumer fraud.[11] Anne Milgram, the Attorney General of New Jersey, felt that attacking JuicyCampus for its free speech issues would be difficult, so she instead focused on the business aspects.[12] The prosecutors also investigated the website's relationship with advertising agency Adbrite; Adbrite began fully cooperating with the prosecutors and ended its contract with JuicyCampus.[13]

Connecticut authorities also began investigating JuicyCampus.[14]

Alberto Torrico, a member of the California State Assembly from Fremont, asked the Attorney General of California to investigate JuicyCampus.[15]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e "A Crash Course in Online Gossip." The New York Times. 1.
  2. ^ Web site features campus gossip.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Young, Jeffrey R. "How to Combat a Campus Gossip Web Site (and Why You Shouldn't)." The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 17, 2008.
  4. ^ Nader Alsheikh (December 8, 2007). Shooting threat suspect aprehended. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
  5. ^ Associated Press (December 9, 2007). Student arrested after threats to attack campus. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
  6. ^ Cleaning up the Juice. Los Angeles Loyolan. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  7. ^ "A Crash Course in Online Gossip." The New York Times. 2.
  8. ^ "College Web site posts sex gossip, hate, rumor," CNN
  9. ^ "Online campus gossips won't show their faces." CNN.
  10. ^ a b Fisher, Marc. "Dorm Gossip Turns Slimy on the Internet." The Washington Post. March 2, 2008 2.
  11. ^ State Subpoenas Records From JuicyCampus.com As It Investigates the College Gossip Website. The State of New Jersey, Office of the Attorney General (2008-03-18). Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  12. ^ "College Gossip Crackdown: Chelsea Gorman Speaks Out." ABC News. 3.
  13. ^ "College Gossip Site Under Legal Scrutiny." CBS News.
  14. ^ "Gossip Site JuicyCampus Defends 'Anonymous Free Speech'." InformationWeek.
  15. ^ "Lawmaker wants JuicyCampus.com, other 'dangerous campus gossip sites' investigated." The Mercury News.

[edit] External links

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