The Johnsonian

Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: News

These days, students who use Facebook can graffiti walls, battle in virtual food fights and turn each other into zombies.

They can also communicate with their professors.

Kelly James, who teaches sociology, has 355 Facebook friends at Winthrop, and her wall has been commented almost 900 times since she activated her account.

"People know it's okay to talk to me," James said. "I was born an extrovert."

The professor said the online community is good at telling a human story.

She responds to around five or six messages every week about homework assignments, projects and life in general.

"Students tell me different stories about who they are on Facebook," James said. "Then, they tell me stories of who they are in class."

So far, James has joined 55 groups and even had a group dedicated to her: The Kelly James Fan Club.

"I think there are like three people in that group," James said modestly.

In fact, 31 of James's students, former students and fellow faculty members have joined in.

One of those members, sophomore psychology major Dominique Boyce, said she isn't uncomfortable with the fact that professors may be checking up with their students on Facebook, especially if they are down-to-earth.

"If students graduate from this university and decide in a few years to come back to teach here, then they would still have their Facebooks most likely," Boyce added.

Psychology professor Darren Ritzer uses his account as another way to keep in touch with his students. He said it usually makes sense because some students use Facebook more than their Winthrop e-mail accounts.

He also uses it as a way to share photos of his daughter.

Ritzer said students should be more cautious about what they put in their profiles, especially since parents, potential employers and sometimes even law enforcement can see what students post.

"There have been several cases of the police gathering evidence from sites such as Myspace and Facebook to use in criminal cases," Ritzer said. "As always, students should be aware of how they're presenting themselves."

Senior psychology major Melissa Kinyon, one of Ritzer's students and Facebook friends, said she doesn't have a problem with professors who log in to the community.

"I chose to be friends with my professor on Facebook," she said. "I'm friends with a couple of professors."

Kinyon said she thinks it's disrespectful to put inappropriate photos of yourself on the Internet for everyone to see.

"Facebook is the equivalent of putting something on a billboard," she said. "So if I don't want the whole world to see, why would I put something on my profile?"

Resident director Julie Schrader said she doesn't use her account very much, but when she does, she uses it mostly to see what students are up to.

"I use it as a tool," Schrader said. "Since I work in residence life, it's a good tool to use if I have concerns about a student."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools