Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Web users beware: Facebook, MySpace used for info checks [Dorgan Hams THE GAMECOCK Students becoming more comfortable expressing themselves in open online environments such as Facebook.com and MySpace. com are beginning to face the music as some groups and individuals are using the online communities to conduct background checks. During a controversial drawing for an AK-47 rifle at' Clemson University at the beginning of this month, Tiger Town Observer editor Andrew Davis was criticized for his profile on Myspace. Davis’s profile states that he is a “far-right-wing Christian”* who cautions “homos” against sending him messages. The profile also says, “if you’rd'an unlicensed and uninsured Mexican driving on our roadways, I’ll slit your throat. This goes for illegals too.” Davis said he has been contacted from The Greenville News, The Seneca Daily Journal, The Charlotte Observer and The Anderson Independent regarding his MySpace profile. “People just have to realize that the Internet is a public domain, and anything they put out there has the potential to be read and brought out,” Davis said. “This doesn’t make it right -or fair ... certainly (with) the abuse with busting students for alcohol using Facebook pictures. Students just have to be ready for it to come back. Fortunately for me, I don’t care, and I think it’s funny that people actually care what I have to say.” As Facebook is becoming a part of college students’ daily lives, it is also becoming a useful tool in fraternity and sorority recruitment. “Facebook gave us a chance to get to know a little more about the girls going through sorority recruitment than what they put on their application,” said Marie Russ, a fourth year English student and former membership vice president for Delta Zeta. “Flaving the opportunity to get to know more about the girls coming through also made it easier for the sisters rushing them.” Late last year, Facebook added the ability for students with profiles to add photo albums and identify people in the photos, which are then added to each “tagged” person’s profile. Laurie Miller, a fourth year education student and president of Sorority Council, said sorority rush leaders are monitored on Facebook to make sure they are not affiliated with their chapter and chapter groups. “The potential new members also used Facebook to check out the sisters of each chapter as well,” Russ said. “Just as we used it to get to know more about them, they used it to get to know more about us.” But some Greeks have come to stay alert of potentially damaging content posted in online forums by their own members. Last semester, fraternity Kappa Sigma had to deal with a member who posted racist remarks about Omega Psi Phi’s impending move to the Greek Village, which stirred tensions. “If there was something on a Greek’s profile that violates sorority council’s policy on conduct, if brought to our attention, we would have a meeting with the president of the organization and the individual,” Miller said. According to USA Today, students are surprised that police are now being trained about Facebook so that they can investigate complaints about students using the service to harass each other. Traffic on Facebook has grown 272 percent in the past year, making it the 66th most popular Web site in February according to ComScore Media Metrix, a company that tracks Internet use. Facebook is now recorded as being used by 65 percent of undergrads at four-year universities. “Facebook has changed the recruiting process drastically since I was recruitment chair,” Russ said. “It is essential that sororities portray themselves in the best light as well as potential new members.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu ORXRCR • CORTIRUCDPROIRR poverty was so widespread and so race-related,” Sousa said. “You really see a depth of people when they encounter something they’ve never seen before. That was a definite experience for me with him and with everyone else,” Chandler said. Chandler and Sousa both noted the importance of church in bringing the village together. “The people there revere the Virgin Mary and almost everyone attended Mass,” Sousa said of the mostly Catholic villagers. Though life could not supply them with wages, San Vincente’s tight-knit religious community filled their destitution with spirit and identity. “Despite a poverty like I haven’t seen in the U.S., mar • "TH. r > mammm b these people had a sense of community, laughter and comedy that I don’t think I’ve encountered before,” Chandler said. “I think it was really a testament to the binding power of faith.” Chandler said bonding with friends was the common element thank linked his spring break experience to that of most other students who went to places like Acapulco, Key West and Myrtle Beach. But the satisfaction of his week away from USC came from being proactive. “Waking up, it’s nice knowing that in the day ahead of you, you’ll be part of something that’s bigger than you,” Chandler said. “It’s that instant gratification that makes volunteering the most satisfying.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu The official University of South Carolina Class of 2006 graduation trip! On this 19-day, ten country tour, you will visit: . London . Amsterdam . Paris . Swiss Alps . Munich . Rome For more information, visit: www.CarolinaAlumni.org/seniors I WE DON’T RENT TO DOGS I (but cats are welcome to bring their owners) minutes from everywhere major kitchen appliances beautiful wood beams pool and sundeck M^wssi "cats we,come WHALEY'S whaleysmill.com MILL ~ 803*254*7801 sc 211 Main St. (across from College of Engineering) [Charleston L Maymester/Summer Sessions Sr http://summer.cofc. ed u 843.953.4831