> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • The Evolution of Race in Admissions
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
Wired Campus circle logo

Wired Campus: College Coaches Keep Tabs on Facebook

The latest on tech and education.

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

College Coaches Keep Tabs on Facebook

By  Brock Read
January 29, 2007

The rise of Facebook has given athletics directors plenty of sleepless -- and scandal-plagued -- nights, and it’s understandable that a college would want to keep photos of, say, team hazing rituals off the Web. But is there an unobjectionable way to accomplish that goal?

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

The rise of Facebook has given athletics directors plenty of sleepless -- and scandal-plagued -- nights, and it’s understandable that a college would want to keep photos of, say, team hazing rituals off the Web. But is there an unobjectionable way to accomplish that goal?

Kicking athletes off Facebook, as Kent State University briefly tried doing (The Chronicle, June 23), seems awfully harsh. Forcing them to restrict their profiles to certain friends is more reasonable. But in the eyes of some students, such a restriction contradicts the entire point of the site.

So some colleges are asking coaches to take on the role of Big Brother. At George Washington University, for example, many coaches have signed up for Facebook, and they routinely scan the social network to make sure team members are not posting anything untoward. When a member of the university’s golf team posted pictures that showed him drinking alcohol, the squad’s coach saw the photos and asked the student to take them offline, reports The GW Hatchet.

One athlete told The Hatchet that he would rather his coach monitor his Facebook profile than have that task fall to the university’s administrators. But that raises a question: Is it fair for athletics departments to patrol athletes’ Facebook profiles? Clearly, athletics directors want to protect the reputations of their institutions. But if the sponsor of a college marching band or debate society tried to restrict its members’ Facebook posts, there might be a public outcry. --Brock Read

ADVERTISEMENT

Brock Read
As editor of The Chronicle, Brock Read directs a team of editors and reporters who provide breaking coverage and expert analysis of higher-education news and trends.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin