College students' pent-up fears, prejudices, and demons are coming to light on a new blog started by Duke University students. The blog, which encourages users to post anonymously and promises a safe space to find support, can be seen as an antidote to malicious-gossip sites where students have been lashing out at their peers.
The blog is called Me Too, and the idea is to show college students that they are not alone in their feelings of inadequacy, even if almost everyone else on campus might appear flawless. Users can post comments about any item posted, but the only response allowed is "Me too."
Moderators screen every post and comment, and reject any material they deem inappropriate. The friendly tone of the site is a stark contrast to Juicy Campus, a gossip site where many people have posted anonymous smears of other students. The gossip site also started at Duke, led by a recent alumnus, and it has sparked criticism on campuses across the country (The Chronicle, March 17).
Although the Me Too blog was intended only for students at Duke—where there is a much-discussed tradition of striving for "effortless perfection"—leaders of the site say that students from other colleges have been contributing as well. More than 650 messages have been posted since the blog started in February.
Several of the messages involve body image, depression, and concerns about fitting in.
"I feel fat and ugly. I know I am pretty ... but I also am sure I am so fat, and no one will want to be with me," writes one contributor.
"I lie so much that I get confused what I told to whom," writes another. "I feel bad, but I don't think that anybody would like me for who I really am, what I really have, or where I really live."
"I'm depressed, anorexic, and I cut myself. I rather be unconscious than awake," says another. "I've resigned to the fact that I will never be happy with myself or life."
The Me Too project was inspired by a speech given to student leaders by Gary D. Glass, senior coordinator for outreach and developmental programming at Duke's counseling-services office. He told students that he'd like to give students at Duke a T-shirt that said "Me Too" on it, so they would know they're not alone. He said he was surprised when one of the student leaders, Deepika Ravi, approached him after the talk and said, We should do something with this."
Ms. Ravi said that she forwarded any "questionable" posts to Mr. Glass at the counseling center, but she would not say whether any interventions have been made as a result of the blog.
The site is sponsored by a student group called the Center for Race Relations. "After the Duke lacrosse thing, there's been a lot of talk about race and gender," says Christen Tingley, a junior who serves as the center's co-director. In 2006, three white Duke lacrosse players were accused of beating and raping an African-American exotic dancer at an off-campus party, but the charges were eventually dropped (The Chronicle, April 20, 2007).
Several of the posts on the blog express frustration about the racial climate on the campus.
"Sometimes I wonder if I only got into Duke because I am considered a minority," writes another. "but I can never share this with anyone, and I think I hate that just as much ... "
Mr. Glass, of the counseling center, said that he hoped that some students used posting to the blog as a first step toward seeking further support. He praised leaders of the blog for organizing a meeting this month that allowed readers and contributors to talk face to face.
