Over the past week, it has been difficult to walk around campus without hearing someone talking about NMU-Confessions.
On Tuesday, Feb. 12, a new page was created on Facebook to allow students to anonymously submit comments about NMU or other students at NMU. According to the page, the point of NMU-Confessions is, “just for a fun way to hear everyone’s stories and secrets about Northern in a discreet and confidential way.”
It has been used by women to talk about how cruel they have been to their roommate, how many guys they have slept with or how they are an upperclassmen and still a virgin. Don’t get me wrong: it is not just women who are guilty in this case either.
Talk resembling this is standard on a college campus and not very surprising, but when confessions about the staff are made that is when it becomes bothersome — for instance, when students on the page leave comments about how they have had sexual relations with their RA, professors or teaching assistants.
Although anyone can make a false confession on this page, they do not understand the results that go along with it. Not only do these false juvenile confessions make the school look appalling, they can have very negative consequences.
According to the NMU Student Handbook, “University employees (faculty, staff and student supervisors) who are in a position of authority in such matters as supervising, evaluating, teaching a course and/or advising a student as part of a school program shall not engage in a Consensual Relationship with a student or subordinate.”
Later in the handbook it states, “persons in violation of this policy may be subject to sanctions ranging from verbal warnings to dismissal or termination.”
Students need to think about other people who read these pages, such as incoming freshmen.
I know as a current NMU student I have a lot of pride for this school: it deserves a good name for many reasons and many other students agree with me.
But what most don’t realize is that comments like these make incoming freshmen think that NMU is a free for all, and just an assembly of students and staff with no morals.
This page, or should I say the people commenting on this page, are giving NMU a bad reputation — something I would not like to be a part of, nor should any other student.
We are college students; this is our time to find who we are supposed to be.
Talking bad about your roommate or your best friend over a page for anyone to see is not a good way to vent or take care of your problems.
If you have something to say, get out there and say it to someone in person, not over an anonymous Facebook page. If you do not feel comfortable telling them in person, then most likely you should not say it.
NMU students need to think about what they write on this page before they do. They should think about the kind of reputation they are giving their school, professors and other students.
Next time, before you write on the NMU-Confessions, think about what others will think and if it is something you really want Northern to be associated with.
