University administrator urges college students to use security settings on Facebook By Lovelle Harris A California university student affairs administrator warned law students March 10, 2009 that not only are college watchdogs possibly viewing the photos posted on Facebook documenting their latest, boozy escapade at the local watering hole, but prospective employers could be as well. “You can’t control what other people are going to think about it,” said Dr. Dana Pysz, assistant director of student affairs at University of California, Los Angeles. Pysz, who recently concluded a three-year study on the safety and privacy issues that users of online social networks, such as Facebook, should be familiar with, spoke to a receptive crowd of about 20 students and administrators at University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. “There are 43 different Facebook [privacy] settings,” Pysz said. “However, according to Facebook, only 20 percent of users adjust their settings.” With its user base growing every day, about 5 million new users a week, according to a March 2, 2009 profile in Fortune magazine on Facebook’s Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Pysz warns that online social networking sites are not just a tool for friends to connect with one another anymore. “Many employers are now using Facebook as a decision-making tool when hiring for internships and full-time opportunities,” Pysz said. “I would say for students trying to get
employment, you want to be more protected.” According to Pysz, with the emergence of the employment sector using Facebook, so too are college administrators who are looking to ensure the safety of their student body and are adhering to its student conduct policies. “Threats, stalking, harassment, I’ve dealt with students in the Dean of Students office at UCLA and hold them accountable through the conduct system,” Pysz said in relation to his dealings with Facebook and the student body. While the crowd was a mix of users and non-users, Pysz’s comments about the privacy settings Piqued the interest of just about everyone in the audience when he noted that even those without Facebook accounts could Google a person and gain access their information quite easily. “I don’t have a Facebook page, and I probably will never have one,” said Brent Bynum, a 37-year-old career adviser at Pacific McGeorge who attended the lecture. “I think every student should have that [security settings applied] so you can’t Google them.” For those that actively maintain profiles on Facebook, many in the audience were grateful for the tips and suggestions put forth in Psyz’s presentation. “Pay attention to your privacy settings,” said Kris Scivoletto, a 45-year-old Pacific McGeorge staffer in attendance who has been on
Facebook for two months. “Don’t put anything out there that you wouldn’t put on your office door.” Psyz, who received his doctorate in educational leadership at UCLA, is also an adjunct professor for the institution as well in its master’s program for student affairs and has been on Facebook for the last three to four years. “There is no magic formula for what is too much information on your Facebook page,” Pysz said. “That’s a personal judgment that you have to make.”