Diversity College

Diversity College Est. 1865 2006 Virtual Case Study Committee for Facebook and Cyber Community Issues Florida International University Members Erika Glenn Walter Maldonado Julie Leos Heidi Richards Culture • Community • Character Discover Culture • Discover Community • Discover Character Discover Diversity College

Culture • Community • Character Behind Facebook.com • What is it? Facebook, formerly known as thefacebook, is an online social networking service for high school, college, and university communities, primarily in English-speaking countries. • Users create personal profiles: These profiles typically contain photos, personal information and lists of interests. Users can exchange private or public messages and join groups of friends. The viewing of detailed profile data is limited to users from the same school or confirmed friends, though one can change their personal options regarding this matter. • How do students access it?Anyone with access to a valid edu e-mail address from over 2,000 college and universities can register for and access the site. This group may be comprised of students, alumni, faculty, and staff, although the vast majority of Facebook’s users are students. • Who uses this site? About 85% of students in supported colleges have a profile on the site. • As of December 2005, Facebook had the largest number of registered users among college-focused sites, with over six million US college student accounts created and an additional 20,000 new accounts being created daily. • About 85% of students in supported colleges have a profile on Facebook: 60% log in daily, 85% log in at least once per week, and 93% log in at least once per month.

Culture • Community • Character Behind Facebook.com cont. • How was facebook created? • The name of the site is based on the paper facebooks that many colleges give to incoming students, faculty, and staff depicting members of the campus community. • In February 2004, feeling the need for a stronger community on campus, Mark Zuckerberg, a student from Harvard College, created Facebook to give students an on campus directory to share profiles, activities and, essentially, their lives. • It became a network phenomenon as it spread quickly to other schools. By December 2004, the number of users was well over one million. • Facebook at Diversity College? • Facebook came to Diversity College at approximately the same time it appeared at many other colleges across the United States. • By October 2005, Facebook had expanded to smaller universities and junior colleges throughout the United States and Canada. Facebook expanded to universities in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. • Later in 2005, Facebook added universities in Australia and New Zealand. • As of December 2005, the network expanded to include 2,000+ colleges and 25,000+ high school institutions, encompassing more than 11 million users worldwide.

Culture • Community • Character Student Benefits As a member of facebook.com a student can: • Connect with Students on Campus • Meet and maintain relationships with other students on campus • Share personal information such as birth date, gender, hometown, school concentration and class schedules • Meet Students with Similar Interests • Music, groups and organizations, hobbies • Advertise Campus Events to Students • Groups can send invitations and promote events • Meet People in their classes • Discover who is taking a class with you. Students can discuss class material, share information with others in a same class, and form study groups. • Communicate Quickly and Easily with Friends • Many students are able to reconnect or stay connected with friends in other states. • Meet and Interact with Students from different schools • Catch up with old and new friends • Post messages on friends’ profiles • Share pictures • Integrate features such as AIM messenger

Culture • Community • Character Student Challenges Students have been faced with the following issues: • Various University Administrators Continue Viewing Student Profiles • Students’ questionable behavior posted on facebook by photos or comments, as well as with groups they have created, have been adjudicated through campus Student Conduct and Judicial procedures. • Examples: •Louisiana State University: Members of the swim team were dismissed and stripped of their scholarships for creating a Facebook group called Fantastic Four Coaches which complained about the lack of successful coaching provided to the team. • University of Mississippi: Three students were punished after beginning a Facebook group which insinuated their desire to have sexual relations with a professor. The professor found the group and reported it. •Fisher College: The student government president was expelled for using Facebook to gather students in a protest against a campus police officer. His statements read “either we get a petition going or we try and set him up.” •Pennsylvania State University: Campus police disciplined 50 students who rushed the football field after a defeat over Ohio State. They were found because they joined a Facebook group that was called I rushed the field after the OSU game (and lived). • Facebook Profiles are visible to any Individual Containing a University E-mail Account • Safety concerns abound because students are placing very personal information on their profiles. Students can post information fulfilling the following areas: •Birthday • Full current address • Majors • Phone Numbers • • Email Addresses • Relationships Status • Likes/dislikes • Class Schedules •

Culture • Community • Character Student Challenges cont. • Facebook on The News • Facebook has captured headline titles on over 76 television news channels nationwide since May 2005. • As a national icon, Facebook is constantly attracting the media, eliminating the private seclusion that college students once felt concerning their involvement with Facebook. • The fear of Facebook is rampant and the benefits are beginning to be overlooked. • Potential Employers Tracking Students • Employers are now obtaining “edu” e-mail accounts to observe the behaviors and profiles of current and prospective employees/students. • What students consider to be a social avenue is now being viewed as an extension of a potential interview process.

Culture • Community • Character Institutional Benefits Institutions have seen how Facebook can help to: • Build the University Community • Campus Life and Residential Life are utilizing facebook groups to advertise educational and social programming. • Fast information distribution and quicker turn around time for feedback can be established through facebook message boards. • Communicate with Students • Facebook is diminishing the large sense of disconnect once felt faculty/staff and students within the college community. • Universities can use facebook to locate unreachable students who may need to respond to student conduct letters or phone calls. • Universities can use facebook to schedule committee, executive board and other avenues of meetings with students. • Attempt to Monitor Students’ Behavior • Universities have the potential to use facebook as a point of reference for selecting student leaders for their organizations. Profile information could promote access to discovering potential character and ethical stances. • Because of the open accessibility of online material, students may be held accountable for disruptive, illegal and/or hateful pictures or statements presented on Facebook profiles. If a judicial affairs office finds this, it can be revered as good practice to act immediately. • This benefit also poses many concerns about a university’s abilities to monitor profiles.

Culture • Community • Character Institutional Challenges Facebook.com leaves institutions asking: • Should Institutions Monitor Student Profiles? • If Institutions Publicize that they will Monitor Student Profiles: • They create a new duty to care and higher level of liability. If an incident occurs as a result of online activities through facebook.com, the institution could potentially be held liable for failing in their duty to care. • Much time and effort will be exerted in areas of little control. Energy could be spent on educating students about online safety and awareness, rather than searching for moments to charge students with misconduct. • If Institutions Publicize that they will not Monitor Student Profiles: • An institution is not obligated to respond to any and/or all Facebook issues. • Liability remains, but only for those issues brought directly to the attention of the institution’s administration. • Institutions will not “dig” for questionable behavior, rather respond to items that are presented to them. • Should we change the Student Code of Conduct to Accommodate facebook violations? • Changing the Student Code of conduct will only create a sense of urgency for students to find loopholes in the system created to “get them in trouble.” • Most Student Codes of Conduct contain items that will assist the institution in holding students accountable for their online actions without having to create or expand additional charges. Some codes read similar to these: • Harassment: Conduct of a sexual or non sexual nature ( including, but not limited to, physical contact, verbal, graphic, written or electronic communication ) that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for another person or group (If students are accused with any action deemed to be harassment they could be held accountable using already existing policies.) • Computer use: unauthorized access, entry or use of a computer, computer system, network, software, password, account or data. (If students are using the computer system of the university for fraudulent and illegal activities through facebook they may be held responsible through this already existing policy covering all activities used while)

Culture • Community • Character Institutional Challenges • False profiles • Since registration is open to all email addresses within a specific domain name (@school.edu), students with access to more than one such email address may take advantage of the situation to create fake profiles. As a result, Facebook's database has become littered with profiles for real-life historical figures, celebrities, and campus personalities such as football coaches, university presidents, athletics mascots, and even inanimate objects such as beer. Although this practice is against Facebook policy (as the Facebook FAQ says, "Dude, everyone knows that you aren't Paris Hilton") and requests for name changes must be approved by Facebook staff. • Alcohol policy violations • It has become increasingly common for colleges and universities to use Facebook to investigate underage drinking and violations of dry campus policies. Students who violate these policies may be discovered through photographs of illicit drinking behavior, membership in drinking-related groups, or party information posted on the Facebook website. Here is an example citing a Student Code of Conduct charge for alcohol: • Alcohol: Possession, use or consumption of alcohol when under the legal drinking age as outlined by state law. (If students who are underage have posted pictures of alcohol consumption and they are brought to the attention of administration, they may still be held responsible ) • Faculty and Staff Issues when using Facebook • Faculty and staff should be careful not to misrepresent themselves or their position • Faculty and staff should make sure the information on their page is aligned with the policies and values of the in Student Code of Conduct • Faculty and staff should take responsibility to report any information or behaviors deemed inappropriate according by Student Code of Conduct • Since students do have access to Faculty and Staff profiles, we emphasize the importance being professional and creating the appropriate perception of yourself

Culture • Community • Character Committee Recommendations ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● The Committee for Facebook and Cyber Community Issues at Diversity College has met to present the following information. After reviewing Facebook and other cyber community history, challenges and benefits; we have made the following recommendations. A pre-test for pre-assessment of student online awareness, a Facebook presentation for students at Diversity College’s Orientation, and a post-test for our continued assessment. We hope you will find our information useful, enlightening and helpful as we continue to help our students Discover Culture, Community and Character. ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Culture • Community • Character Committee Recommendations • The General Cyber Community Knowledge Assessment Pre and Post-Tests • Student Transition: Efforts to aid in the transition of our students remains an institutional focus. • Nancy Schlossberg’s Transition Theory indicates that all transitions require support and strategy • This institution is dedicated to providing that support finding strategies for ongoing assessment of student growth and development. • Thus, our goal is to assist students through the transition to college and, through assessments, aid as many students as possible to be virtually aware and educated. • Orientation Presentation • Letting Students know they Matter: The Orientation Office has continually dedicated its time to prepare students to enter successfully into the university, including showing students, from the beginning, the important role they play. • Nancy Schlossberg’s research on Marginality and Mattering among college students speaks to the importance of a student’s feeling of significance in order to be continually successful in both their studies and personal development • We feel that we hold a responsibility to educate our incoming students about the joys and difficulties of cyber communities. We will show our students that they matter to us by showing them that we care about their safety.

Culture • Community • Character General Cyber Community Knowledge Assessment Pre-Test To assess the knowledge of first year students, the committee recommends: Requiring all students to partake in a facebook/online community knowledge assessment test prior to registering for their orientation program • The Pre-Test • In the next few slides you will see the online test that students must take before orientation. • The test consists of only 15 questions. These questions are to gain an understanding of students knowledge and online savvy. • With the help of Assistant Director of IT, we were able to outline the possibilities for the online test to occur before students can access their online orientation application. This provides the Committee for Facebook and Cyber Community Issues information regarding the online safety knowledge that incoming students possess. There will be no required grade for this pre-test. • Being aware of the digital divide that may exist, the Office of Orientation is dedicated to investing money to purchase two to three computers for commuter students and for students who may not have access to this online test. Students from out of town who may not have access to a computer will have the option of a paper test received through the postal service.

Culture • Community • Character Cyber Community KnowledgeAssessment Test General Cyber Community Knowledge Assessment Test

Culture • Community • Character Cyber Community KnowledgeAssessment Test

Culture • Community • Character Recommended Orientation Presentation Upon the review of literature, an assessment of our students’ needs and our sincere desire to educate the students of Diversity College, we have produced a starting point for student cyber community safety and awareness. We hope that this presentation will possess an adequate amount of energy to reach our first year students, as well as provide them with necessary information before acquiring a student e-mail account. This presentation is in no way meant to be the final presentation, rather an indication of what we believe will be beneficial to students regarding their online behaviors. Any ideas or possible solutions are still appreciated. The next 14 slides showcase a possible orientation presentation as part of our solution for a safer cyber community at Diversity College.

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT... Diversity College Facebook Idol

Open Auditions for the next Facebook Idol! • What is Facebook? • Facebook is an online directory that connects people through social networks in high schools, colleges, and universities. • Facebook was introduced on February 4, 2004 by three highly motivated Harvard University students! • Users create personal profiles, post personal photos, list personal interests, exchange private and/or public messages, and join groups of friends! • As of December 2005, Facebook housed over 11 million users, with an additional 20,000 new members joining daily! • About 85% of students in supported colleges have a profile on Facebook: 60% log in daily, 85% log in at least once a week, and 93% log in at least once a month. Facebook Idol

Calling All Facebook Idol Applicants!! Ready to Register? It’s easy! www.facebook.com contains a link on the top right-hand corner directing you to this registration screen! So, now you are registered… What next? Facebook Idol

Rock Out with Facebook!!What Can Facebook Do For You? Stay connected with good friends across the country! Meet new and exciting people and build strong, meaningful relationships! Meet others in your classes and stay connected for study groups! Use super cool pictures to update your friends on “What’s up!” Facebook Idol Express your own identity!

Preparing for the bad reviews… • Facebook can be a fun and interactive way to reach out to friends across the country; however, it is important to remember that the internet is a public forum: legally, you lose privacy rights to your photos and profile online. • Harassment cases, underage drinking and other illegal activities have grown because of students, unfamiliar with the consequences, posting pictures and information on Facebook and other online communities. • Facebook’s terms of use policy tells users that they may not post “any content that we deem to be harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, vulgar, obscene, hateful, or racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable.” Facebook Idol

Preparing for the bad reviews… • Employers are now obtaining edu e-mail accounts to observe the behaviors and profiles of current and prospective employees/students. • College officials are beginning to worry that companies might begin regularly scanning Facebook profiles not simply for incriminating photos, but for information regarding students’ race, gender, and sexuality. These are details that companies are legally prohibited from factoring into their decisions for hiring potential employees. Facebook Idol

Preparing for the bad reviews… • At North Carolina State, nine students were documented for drinking in their residence hall rooms after a resident assistant found photos of the incident on Facebook. Although most Universities and Colleges are not scanning Facebook for incriminating pictures and information, they are still able to hold students responsible for what is found on their online profiles. • Attention Residents of Diversity College On-Campus Housing!! • This example of student Facebook accountability particularly pertains to you! Because your residence is property of Diversity College, the actions that take place on and/or within that property are subject to regulation and enforcement of policies by the department of Housing and Residential Life. • As in this case, pictures of illegal activity in a college residence hall room were posted on a Facebook profile. Because that room is the property of that university, the Judicial Affairs department was able to hold students accountable for the disregard for policy. • Much like the students of North Carolina State, Diversity College housing residents should be educated and aware of the information posted on Facebook regarding actions taken within the residence halls. Being responsible is being successful! Facebook Idol

Preparing for the bad reviews… • Two members of Louisiana State University’s swim team were taken off of the team and stripped from their scholarships after creating a Facebook group that complained about the performance of their swim team coaches during their conference championships. • The Student Government President at Fisher College in Boston was expelled in October 2005 for using his Facebook profile to attempt to rally students to take action against a campus police officer. The student wrote that “…either we get a petition going or we try and set him up.” • Attention Residents of Diversity College On-Campus Housing!! • The online network that is provided to students living in on-campus housing is property of Diversity College. Students, as in this Fisher College case, can be held accountable for the information that is posted on online communities such as Facebook when the network is provided and operated by the college. Facebook Idol

Are you prepared to… F.A.C.E. the Music??

F.A.C.E. the Music • F – Find and post pictures that represent you appropriately! • Post pictures that will represent you in the most positive light, for students are not the only individuals containing Facebook accounts! • A – Always be mindful of information that you place on your profile! • Be mindful of posting personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, class schedules, instant messenger screen names, etc. Not everyone connected to the internet is a trustworthy individual! • C – Care for your passwords and know your privacy setting rights! • Change your password often and avoid sharing your login information with others. • Privacy settings available on Facebook exist for your protection! Use them! • E – Expect to be watched! • More and more university faculty and staff are obtaining Facebook profiles, so be cautious as to the information that you post! • Potential employers may also be observing the world of Facebook, therefore always be mindful of the material that you decide to post…it will most certainly represent you! Facebook Idol

Finalists’ Announcements • There are over 11 million Facebook users! • Registration can occur online at www.facebook.com! • Not only can you meet new people, but you can connect with old friends and create study groups with students from your classes! • Facebook is a great interactive tool, but remember to be cautious when posting information. It could possibly be viewed by administrators, faculty, and future employers! • Be careful regarding the personal information that you post on your profile. We want for you to be as safe as possible! • You will be given a test regarding this information before you can enroll for classes and get a student e-mail account. Pass the test and be a Facebook Idol! • Don’t forget to F.A.C.E. your Facebook profile! Follow these helpful suggestions, and it is quite possible that… Facebook Idol

YOU COULD BE THE NEXT... Diversity College Facebook Idol

Culture • Community • Character General Cyber Community Knowledge Assessment Post-Test To assess the knowledge of first year students, the committee recommends: A post-test to assess their knowledge regarding online communities and give Diversity College administration a way to assess learning outcomes for our institutional efforts on safety • The Post- Test • After the Orientation Presentation, students will be required to take a post-test before they are able to access the online class registration site. • The post-test will measure the usefulness and effectiveness of the orientation presentation. It will consist of 26 questions that vary on level of difficulty and will utilize information students learned during orientation to assess what was retained. • We will use a standard grading system to determine satisfactory “adequate” level of learning and understanding. Students must receive a score of 80% or better in order to register for classes. If students are unable to achieve this score, they will be required to take a 90-minute sessions on internet behavior sponsored by Information Technology (IT) and Office of Student Affairs during their First Year Experience course. • Students will come to understand that their behavior has a direct impact on their education. In doing so, the university’s approach toward internet behavior will be consistent and aligned with its Student Code of Conduct. Mandating that students take a 90-minute course reflects the serious position that the university takes with regard to facebook.com. It shifts the responsibility into the hands of students by making them the guardians of their education. • Once students successfully complete the post-test, they will receive a certificate and a Diversity College “Facebook Idol” key chain. The certificate and key chain will be issued through the Office of Orientation and the Office of Information Technology and will acknowledge their successful understanding of responsible online behavior. • It is our belief that recognition of the student’s ability to successfully complete their tutorial will instill pride and encourage them to continue responsible behavior. Since we want our students to comply with university guidelines, we must positively recognize their ability to do so.

Culture • Community • Character Cyber Community KnowledgeAssessment Post Test General Cyber Community Knowledge Assessment Test

Culture • Community • Character Cyber Community KnowledgeAssessment Post Test

Culture • Community • Character Content Decision Deciding on the content of the online tutorial and the orientation presentation was clear to us once we had identified the issues, the causes for those issues and potential ways to overcome them. Our diverse committee offered different experiences and knowledge for knowing what the safety and educational needs of our students were. Furthermore, we believed that offering examples of other students’ mistakes would appeal to them. The questions decided upon for the pre-test were basic questions for us to assess their general knowledge. The post-test covers information from the orientation presentation. We believe that the information in the presentation and assessment tests review the content needed for Diversity College to assess student learning outcomes.

Culture • Community • Character Feasibility andMethods of Evaluation In order to monitor the feasibility and usefulness of the online tutorial, the committee and a representative from the Office of Student Conduct will meet at the end of year to conduct a “year-end review”. In the review both the committee members and Student Conduct representative will provide information statistical data on test success rates (committee) and rates of judicial incidences (student conduct office). • Phase 1-Pre-Tutorial Implementation: Office of Student Conduct will provide the committee with its yearly average number of judicial incidences (stalking, alcohol, and ethical issues, disciplinary…) and committee will provide rates of online test success. • Phase 2-Post-Tutorial Implementation: Will occur once the tutorial has been in use for one full year and will occur at the end of the academic year. In this phase, the committee members and student conduct representative will meet to review their statistics from phase one and will provide statistics based on incidences that occurred after the tutorial was implemented. The statistics reported by the office of student conduct will only include incidences involving freshman students, since they are group required to take the test. During this phase the area of focus for the committee members will be to evaluate rates of test success. The focus area for the office student of conduct will be to evaluate commonly reported judicial incidences which occurred prior to and after the implementation of the online tutorial. Those incidences would include reported statistics in the following areas: • Area 1: Number of Facebook-alcohol related incidences (Prior to Tutorial and After Implementation of Tutorial) • Area 2: Number of Facebook-stalking related incidence (Prior to Tutorial and After Implementation of Tutorial) • Area 3: Number of Facebook related sanctions due to unethical decision making on hate speech, misrepresentation/falsification of information, and behaviors that violate student code of conduct.

Culture • Community • Character Feasibility andMethods of Evaluation, cont. • 2006 Year-End Review & Assessment: • Since 2006 will be the first year the online tutorial is being integrated as a learning tool, the year-end assessment will consist of gathering information rather than evaluating and assessing. However, during this time the committee will meet to review rates of test success for the Online Tutorial (issued during orientation) and Post-Test (issued prior to class registration). If the total number of passing scores (80% and above) is less than the total number of test-takers the committee will be aware that either the content of the course needs to be changed or the difficulty level of the test content needs to be revisited. • 2007 Year-End Review & Assessment: • In 2007, both the committee and Office of Student Conduct will have had ample time to gather adequate information to begin the year-end assessment. In this review, the Office of Student Conduct will report its 2006 case statistics on non-Facebook (Pre-Tutorial Implementation) issues and Facebook-related issues (Post-Tutorial Implementation). The three types of incidences that will be evaluated will include:Area 1: Alcohol IncidencesArea 2: Stalking IncidenceArea 3: Number of disciplinary sanctions related to online (Facebook) ethical (hate speech and messages, inappropriate language, misrepresentation, falsification of information) decision making Once the committee has received reports on Facebook incidences in these three areas, the committee will begin to evaluate whether judicial incidence rates have increased or decreased. If rates of judicial incidences have continue to rise post the implementation of the tutorial , the committee will know it is necessary to re-evaluate the content of the tutorial. However, if judicial incidence rates have decreased, the committee will be aware that the implementation of the tutorial is effective and is useful. • 2008 Year-End Review & Assessment: • By 2008, it is quite possible that “facebook.com” may no longer be a popular website to our student body and community. Nevertheless as facebook.com now offers access to high students it is very likely that the university will continue to face challenges in accountability and monitoring online student behaviors. Therefore, regardless of popularity status of “facebook.com” among our student body, Diversity College will still conduct an assessment and review statistical judicial data. If the statistical test and judicial data indicates significant changes due to demise in site popularity the university must address this issue by altering the content of its tutorial. As opposed to an online “facebook tutorial” the university will need to make changes to design a generic tutorial on “responsible peer-to-peer site behavior”. Nevertheless, regardless of the popularity status of facebook in 2008, the university’s commitment to educating its student body will remain salient and strong. Incoming freshman students will continue to be required to take a pre-test and online tutorial and will still need be mandated to successfully complete their post-test with a passing score (at least 80%) in order to register for classes. The continued to commitment to educate students about responsible online behavior will motivate students to think more critically and will continue their ethical decision making skills.

Culture • Community • Character What We Learned The Florida International University Virtual Case study team has learned a great deal from this case study competition. Issues that we knew existed were clarified and our knowledge on assessing student online needs was solidified. We have learned that this issue will continue to change as technology and students continue to develop. As Student Affairs professionals we should expect its growth. This year the issues with Facebook may consume administrators’ time, but next year it might be some other form of communication posing problems for our students and our institutions. Staying abreast of all new phenomenon is what we see to be the most helpful solution for prevention, education and safety. We also learned that working with online communities instead of against them is beneficial. Yes, we have seen downfalls to these online communities, but there are also many ways to utilize these services to be intentional with our students and their development. Fighting them may take more energy from staff and administration than merely embracing their existence and acknowledging that education is the answer.

Culture • Community • Character Final Thoughts Furthermore, we understood the need for connectivity between departments across campus, faculty and staff with any and all issues facing our students. It is not enough for just one department to face student issues. A community wide attempt to keep students safe will reinforce the goals behind all efforts. As we worked to ensure how Diversity College, a public school, would deal with this situation we kept in mind the difference between how a public and private institution would respond. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to have learned so much. We have personally seen the way Facebook and other online communities have revolutionized the way in which we respond to student issues and affect our interactions with them. We are certain that what we have learned will translate to our jobs as advocates and educators. We are prepared to assist Florida International University or any institution we serve in their own responses to cyber community concerns. Thank You! Yet, another FIU Production

Culture • Community • Character References Amington.M. (2005). 85% of college students use facebook. Retrieved February 18, 2006 from http://www.techcrunch.com/2005/09/07/85-of-college-students-use-facebook/ Barnett, M. (2006). Facebook profiles could lead to consequences. The Post. (Ohio University), Retrieved February 11, 2006 from http://www.thepost.ohiou.edu/show_news.php?article=N1&date=020806 Bugeja, Michael. Facing the Facebook. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Volume 52 (21), January 2006. Current Magazine (2004). Exclusive Interview with Mark Zuckerberg: The face behind thefacebook.com. Retrieved February 8, 2006, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6596533/site/newsweek Evans, Nancy J., Forney, D.S. & Guido-DiBrito, Florence (1998). 1st Edition.Student Development in College. Theory, Research and Practice. Jossey-Bass Publishing. Fort, Caleb. (2005). Facebook banned at University of New Mexico. Retrieved February 18, 2006 from LexisNexus FIU Libraries. Haas, Nancy. “In Your Facebook.com”, The New York Times, January 8, 2006. Have you checked your facebook today? Retrieved on February 7, 2006, from http://www.asuherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/10/17/435429cbo7b2f?in_archive=1

Culture • Community • Character References Hirschland, J. ( 2004). Facebook leads to student drug bust. Retrieved February 16, 2006from http://www.thedepaulia.com/story.asp?artid=1186&sectid=1 Hutton, Patrice. (2006). Student site Facebook raises some eyebrows. Retrieved February 12, 2006, from http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/13744268.htm Linhardt, David. (2006). Ohio University students warned to keep Facebook profiles presentable. Retrieved February 9, 2006 from LexisNexus FIU Libraries. Naposki, Krista.(2004) Facebook - The craze that has crashed into college life may have other consequences. Retrieved February 10, 2006, from http://www.elon.edu/web/pendulum/Issues/2006/01_19/features/specialfeature.xhtml Read, Brock. Think Before You Share: Students’ online socializing can have unintended consequences. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Volume 52 (20), January 2006. Zuckerberg, M. (2005). Thefacebook.com. Retrieved on February 18, 2006, from http://thefacebook/about.php

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