Who's the biggest slut on campus? The "Jewciest" Jew? Who's still in the closet? Once confined to bathrooms and late-night heart-to-hearts over a pint of ice cream, college gossip has hit online forums nationwide-and students are reading.
Secrets are revealed on JuicyCampus.com, where some of the brightest students in the nation participate in a name-calling free-for-all. When every topic and response allows for anonymity, anything can be written. "The idea started as me thinking back to my college days and saying, 'Here are some of my favorite, funniest, most outrageous stories,'" says founder and Duke alumnus Matt Ivester. "There is so much going on in college. Why not provide a place online for people to share their stories?"
But it's not all fun and games. Ivester did not anticipate the flood of mean-spirited posts, which range from listing the most racist students on campus, to singling out the best blowjobs. The site's potential to damage reputations has attracted media attention, including features in The New York Times and last week's issue of Us Weekly. The increased publicity and coverage has only boosted JuicyCampus' popularity.
So far, the site does not have a Northwestern satellite; some fear its arrival. "If the site came to Northwestern, it would be dramatic and have huge potential to ruin reps, but at the same time, I would definitely go on," says Medill freshman Emily Wray. "I would probably read it religiously." Wray knows a student at the University of California at Santa Barbara who was featured on the site for her prowess in the oral sex department.
Already, the controversial Web site is in the midst of expansion and has created pages for 60 colleges since launching in October 2007. Ivester hopes to eventually hit every U.S. campus, and NU students can expect to see some Wildcat dirty laundry aired online in the near future, he says. There is no system for removing schools directly from JuicyCampus, according to Ivester. "Is it a gossip Web site? Yes. Do I think that it creates more gossip? Not at all," he says. "I think it makes it more available, perhaps."
Spring Break
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