Students lose spots at Harvard over Facebook posts
Few college-bound kids lose their shot, and their slot, at their dream university once they get in, but it happened at one of the world’s most elite institutions and for a reason that has, until recently, hardly registered in the university admissions process: social media.
Harvard University’s decision to rescind admission offers to 10 incoming freshmen because of offensive Facebook posts comes at a time of heightened attention to free speech and student conduct on US college campuses, and has stirred debate far beyond the halls of the Ivy League school.
Other schools say it’s an eyeopener for those involved in the admissions process.
“We’re going to continue to watch how this unfolds and, with other higher-ed institutions, learn from it,” said Janet Bonkowski, spokeswoman for the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay.
Harvard rescinded the admission offers after discovering the students had traded offensive images and messages on a private Facebook group, student newspaper the Harvard Crimson reported. The posts were often sexually explicit and mocked Mexicans, the Holocaust, sexual assault and child abuse.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts, university declined to comment, but the school does tell accepted students their offers can be withdrawn if their behaviour “brings into question their honesty, maturity or moral character”. Nancy Beane, a high school counsellor in Atlanta and president of the National Association for College Admission Counselling, said zero tolerance for racist comments should be the standard for all institutions of higher education.
“We’re all humans. We’re all going to make mistakes and make poor choices in our lives, but there are consequences,” Beane said.
“I’m not sure why we’ve decided people can say whatever they want, do whatever they want, and there are no consequences for it.”
In 2015, the national counsellors association surveyed its members at more than 1700 colleges and found less than a third reported rescinding an admissions offer each year.
Nearly 70 per cent of those colleges that did said it was because of a dishonest application, while 20 per cent said it was over a disciplinary issue. Social media behaviour wasn’t considered a reason to drop a student.
Some admissions officers can and do use Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites when assessing applicants, though they generally don’t patrol the internet for damaging information.
Instead, they consider online posts when something specific is brought to their attention. Still, social media content being used to oust a student is uncommon.
In general, dropping an admitted student is a last-resort move, reserved for the most egregious cases. Even then, the college usually will attempt to keep the student by confronting them with the hope that an explanation and a slap on the wrist will resolve the issue.
Harvey Mudd College in California has never rescinded an offer because of a social media profile, said Peter Osgood, its admissions director. But he recalls one instance where school officials discussed an objectionable post with an admitted applicant.
“This matter was dealt with privately and discreetly, and that student became a wonderful citizen for the college, even a much valued tour guide,” Osgood said.