Police probably expected to find students playing beer pong and doing keg stands at the “beer blast,” but instead they arrived to find students playing “cake pong” and doing “cake stands.”
The now-legendary prank, which made it to the pages of The New York Times, was engineered by students at George Washington University to trick police into busting a party that had no alcohol and only 40 students in attendance.
How, one might ask?
The GWU students advertised a “beer blast” on Facebook because they had suspicions the campus police were monitoring the site. Police did respond, but there was actually no beer at the party – only cakes and cookies with the word “beer” on them. Students said the police were stunned.
While the GWU students got the last laugh with their beer bash, other students posting incriminating pictures and information on their Facebook profiles may face more unpleasant results. As the word of the site has spread, officials including University Police, Greek life officials and future employers have begun accessing students’ profiles for their own purposes.
Anyone with a university e-mail address can sign up for a Facebook account. Individual members can use privacy settings to control who can view their profiles, such as limiting access to their friends or to students at their school. Some, however, remain accessible to anyone with an account at their school – including alumni and faculty.
Although not every day, University Police do monitor Facebook and use it as an investigative tool, said University Police spokeswoman Maj. Cathy Atwell.
Atwell said she has not heard of any instances of busting parties advertised on the site. Still, she said, the possibility is not out of the question.
University Police use Facebook more as an investigative tool than anything else, Atwell said. The police can use it to find someone’s whole name and to better understand suspects. Usually, they sign on with the help of student police force members who have accounts.
Atwell said the information people put on Facebook is helpful to the police, but students should be more careful about putting private information on Facebook-like sites.
“It’s just not private information, and people need to be careful about what they put on as a result,” Atwell said.
The police aren’t the only way students can get in trouble.
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life also uses Facebook to keep tabs on fraternities and sororities.
Matt Supple, Assistant Director of OFSL, said information on Facebook that was brought to his attention has led to disciplinary action at least twice.
“If someone brings it to my attention, you bet ya I’m going to follow up with the individual or chapter,” Supple said.
Supple said students should realize Facebook isn’t just viewed by their best friends, and what students put on their profile can be incriminating, whether to an individual, fraternity or sorority.
“It’s inviting people into your life – you don’t know who they are,” Supple said.
Supple said he has spoken with alumni whose companies use Facebook to screen prospective employees, and, in some incidents, information on Facebook has led to people not getting jobs.
Sophomore decision and information sciences major Jesse Chen, president of the Smith Undergraduate Student Association, is aware alumni recruiters may have access to Facebook and recommended the vice presidents of SUSA be careful of what they allow others to see on their facebook profiles.
“I asked them as more of a friend to put on their privacy and be aware of any photos that may incriminate them or others,” Chen said.
The Career Center has also taken note of this, and Facebook has been a topic at some of their staff meetings, said Antoinette Jennings, an adviser at the Career Center.
Jennings said the Career Center has not taken any official action, but advisers have casually warned students to be careful.
“As a student advocate, I am really hopeful that students are careful of what they put on there,” Jennings said.
Contact reporter Will Skowronski at skowronskidbk@gmail.com.
