University Threats Are Not Funny

Is this a joke?

"I think you should kill some of those asses . . . or better, let loose the walshman on their asses!! I'll kill em!" Andrew Walsh wrote from his Facebook profile, which included a photograph of a young man brandishing a large gun.

"We'll call a general SA meeting in Bolton 150 . . . then when everyone's seated . . . we'll lock the doors and out pop my guys with HK mp5's . . . and we'll take care of em! Hahahahahaha."

As an adult student at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, this is no joke.

However, a college education apparently doesn’t equate to common sense. At least not to UWM graduate Andrew Walsh who posted these statements on a friend’s Facebook page.

Hello, McFly. Is anybody home in there?

Thankfully, this was in fact a joke. But university officials, campus police and the Federal Joint Task Force on Terrorism took this threat seriously and ensured the safety of the students and faculty.

In light of the recent shootings at Virginia Tech, just about anyone with an ounce of common sense would realize that this isn’t funny.

Sarcasm, satire and other types of humor are extremely difficult to portray online when key elements of humor such as vocal inflections and facial expressions cannot be conveyed.

Even professional writers struggle with this battle. Just look at how often someone takes a story in The Onion seriously.

Just because you think that your writing or online posting is funny does not mean that others will interpret it as humorous rhetoric.

Sometimes a little common sense and a pause before that final click can avoid a serious misunderstanding.

Isnt’ that right, McFly…..er…..Mr. Walsh?

Drunken Pirate Denied Teaching Degree

In what appears to be an egregious miscarriage of justice, a Millersville, PA woman was denied a teaching degree because of a photo on her MySpace page.

Do university officials, employers, and others have a right to use your MySpace, FaceBook, blog, or other online information against you?

I think not.

Stacy Snyder, 27, posted a picture of herself wearing a pirate costume and drinking from a Mr. Goodbar cup at a 2005 Halloween party. The photo was accompanied by the caption “Drunken Pirate.”

Millersville University claims that Snyder was promoting underage drinking. However, at the time Snyder was 25 years old and legally old enough to drink alcohol. There is absolutely no evidence that Snyder did anything illegal.

I believe that the university has overstepped the boundaries and applied their own narrow-minded standards.

Have these officials forgotten what it's like to have fun?

Snyder, a mother of two, should be lauded for obtaining her teaching degree and not condemned for having fun at a party and sharing it with her friends and family.

Employers and university officials have a right to do background checks on their prospective employees or students, but delving into their personal lives to this degree is definitely leading down a slippery slope.

While it is illegal to ask about race on an employment application, it’s no stretch of the imagination to realize that viewing someone’s MySpace page could lead to discrimination of many types.

Background research should be limited to the information that is supplied on the application. If an employer or university official wants to view a MySpace page, then they should ask for the link instead of using Google.

I sure hope that my present or future employer doesn’t find my new band’s Web site and realize that I play drums. They might not like the music we play or want a wannabe rock star on staff.

Heaven forbid that I have a life outside of work.

Technology Aids VT Students and Families

My thoughts and prayers for the last 24 hours have been with the faculty, staff, students and families of the Virginia Tech family.

While scouring the major news sites for information of yesterday's senseless acts, I realized that technology played an integral and useful role in the tragedy.

Students and staff used cell phones and text messages to contact their loved ones to let them know that they were safe. When the cell phone network was overloaded, many people turned the fun-Net into the Useful-Net by posting messages on their Facebook and MySpace pages.

I am glad that technology played such a prominent and useful role in the senseless tragedy. Technology does, after all, have many good and positive qualities.

Hopefully school and government officials can use these examples to organize technology resources that can help the community in this type of situation. My suggestions are:

• Improve cell phone and computer networks to handle traffic spikes during an emergency.
• Educational and government organizations should develop, publish and publicize electronic communication plans for emergency situations.
• Educational facilities should organize cell phone groups to rapidly send message alerts to a campus community.
• Use the Emergency Broadcast System to send alert messages to the community.
• Use digital highway signs and digital billboards to broadcast alert messages.
• Encourage the use of Web pages, Facebook and MySpace as a communication vehicle for notifications.

It is my sincere hope that another tragedy like this will never occur. If it does, hopefully technology can be used to save lives or relieve the fear and worry of parents, family and friends of those involved.