Athletes at Kent State University could lose their scholarships if they post personal photographs of themselves online after August 1, according to The Columbus Dispatch and The Chronicle’s Wired Campus blog.

More than 400 Kent State athletes must remove information about themselves from Facebook, a Web site where millions of college students network with their friends, said Laing Kennedy, the university’s athletics director.

Mr. Kennedy said he regretted limiting students’ ability to communicate, but said it was a necessary step. “It would be irresponsible on our part if this led to something serious,” he told the Dispatch.

While no other universities are known to have barred athletes from using social-networking sites, many colleges are investigating potential hazing violations in their programs that surfaced this spring when the Web site Bad Jocks published dozens of images of athletes drinking and involved in sexually suggestive activities (The Chronicle, June 2). Just last week, the women’s soccer coach at Northwestern University resigned over a hazing incident involving her players that was posted online (The Chronicle, June 21).