Volume 69 Issue 6 February 4, 2022
@cbulancermedia cbubanner.com
BEHIND THE SCREEN: WHO IS @CBU.CONFESSIONS? Anonymous administrator of popular account shares story Photo Illustration by Elijah Hickman | Banner
BY KASSIDY BLOUNT ASST. A&E EDITOR
Most colleges and universities today have some sort of social media platform for marketing and public relations purposes. However, those schoolrun social media accounts do not always know what is happening in the lives of students and what news the student body is interested in. At California Baptist University, however, there are multiple social media accounts that help students in many ways. One account in particular is
CBU Confessions (@cbu.confessions), a well-known account on campus that is run anonymously, with a current follower count of 2,825. “I want to keep a safe space for the followers,” @cbu.confessions said. “If they don’t know who I am, they’re able to speak freely without worrying.” While @cbu.confessions is not the first account to appear on students’ radars, it is quickly rising in popularity. @cbu.confessions said that the original “confessions” account inspired them, but they wanted to add their own spin to it.
@cbu.confessions highlights updates on campus activities, helps inform students of lost items found on campus and notifies the student body when car lights are left on, or when a student is selling old textbooks. The account also allows people to ask for advice or offer opinions anonymously and gives students a new way to make friends with people they may not typically encounter. “A lot of students are not as involved in the school community for various reasons, and this is a way they can be involved without having to go
out of their way and shirk their responsibilities,” @cbu.confessions said. @cbu.confessions said the primary goal of the account is to help the student body in any way they can. Most students, especially commuters, do not get as many chances to be social, and with constant updates from @cbu.confessions on daily life, those students can become more involved. “I have had many people thank me because they have met new friends or are able to find great work opportunities, amongst many things that this
page has been able to offer them through these posts,” said @ cbu.confessions. Many students have become dependent on @cbu.confessions to give them insight into campus happenings that they might not know about. If the school releases an update, students rush over to @cbu.confessions to check if the gossip is true and to see what other students think about any changes. “If I see something on campus that I do not know much about, I always check @cbu. confessions to see if anyone else has explained what’s going on,”
said Kellie Murry, freshman elementary education major. While running such a popular account may seem like an exciting venture, @cbu.confessions said it can also become taxing to be responsible for so many students’ information. Since so many people utilize @ cbu.confessions and its reach, they often forget that the account is run by just one person, and they cannot always keep track of everything. Keeping track of many requests and messages from various students
SEE CONFESSIONS | PAGE 6
Tree falls, damages part of Lancer Arms BY AIDEN HOBSON MANAGING EDITOR
On Feb. 2, 2022, a tree in the Lancer Arms living area fell onto the northside of building 22.
Photo by Camille Grochowski | Banner
On Feb. 2, the California Baptist University campus was struck by high winds that caused significant damage to one of the student housing areas on campus. A large tree in between buildings 21 and 22 of the Lancer Arms student housing area broke in half and fell onto the north side of building 22, according to an email sent out by the university. Officer James from CBU Safety Services was the first to arrive on the scene. “When I first got here, we got dispatch to a downed tree branch, and when I got here I realized it was more than a tree branch,” James said. “There were students in apartment 13, I believe, the lower apartment, and they were OK and there
were no injuries. We (then) evacuated the building.” Two CBU students who were in their dorm room said that they heard a loud rumbling sound before they noticed the felled tree. “I was sitting at my desk, and I heard a loud crack and then I looked up and I saw the tree,” said Megan Lansing, third-year nursing student. “At first, I was terrified it was going to fall on me and I got very scared. Then I saw it was falling to the left, and it fell and shook the whole building.” Amariah Hunt, senior anthropology major, said: “I was about to take a nap and then I heard a loud thundering, and everything was shaking. I thought it was an earthquake.” The university is working to clear and repair the affected area of the Lancer Arms housing area.
Chapel change —
Cryptocurrency —
Spatial audio —
N e w s , Pg. 3
B & T , Pg . 1 1
A & E , Pg. 12
Spiritual Life introduces new format for online chapel in the spring semester.
Cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin spark interest despite uncertainty.
New audio technology has the potential to change the music industry.