By Jesse Dolojan, Staff Writer

During the first week of classes, someone allegedly went to Husman Hall and recorded the names and faces of  residents, and posted them along with sexual comments on Fizz, an anonymous social media app.

In response, on Sunday, Aug. 25 Xavier University’s Office of Residence Life sent an email to first-year students addressing the alleged harassment of Husman residents, reminding students that while Fizz users are anonymous, they will be held accountable to the law and university policy.   

Fizz is exclusively designed for college and high school students. To create an account, one must enter their school email address to verify their status as a student. All Fizz users have the option to remain anonymous or reveal their name while using the app.  

Dr. Kimberly Moore, Vice President of Student Affairs, believes that requiring a school email can give students a false sense of security when using Fizz. She encourages students to be as informed as possible before signing up for social media apps such as Fizz. 

“I think it’s misleading, because then some students might feel more comfortable signing on to the app, thinking that it’s somehow affiliated with the university, and so there might be a false perception of comfort when there is no relationship with the university,” said Moore. 

Sophomore nursing major Kaleigh Cunningham voiced concerns that when students use Fizz, female students are more frequently harassed when their names are posted on the app. 

“I will say, if someone’s name gets posted on Fizz, then chances are it is not for a good reason and they’re likely being mocked, or they are just someone who’s well known on campus,” Cunningham said. “When girls’ names get posted, it’s usually very condescending, very immature and their names are being dragged in the dirt.” 

In the email sent to first-years, the Office of Residence Life claimed that the behavior was unacceptable and did not match the University’s Jesuit values. Moore stressed there is an ongoing investigation into the case to determine the individuals allegedly involved in harassment. 

“Sometimes you engage in speech that crosses the line and becomes harassing or a violation of the law, and you are subject to the law and the consequences,” Moore said. “So that was the spirit of that communication, because there was activity that was allegedly taking place that was negatively impacting our community.” 

Cunningham expressed that she believes students should be more mature and that both Xavier and students should encourage each other to be aware of the potential for harassment and to discourage it from ever occurring. 

“I think at this point it’s just a social thing, that people have to realize that other people sometimes want privacy and they’re not going to laugh along with your jokes that make them uncomfortable,” Cunningham said.  

Moore wants students to know how important it is for students to file concern reports, inform faculty members of incidents and create a culture of reporting on campus.

“We make sure that from Manresa through graduation, there are multiple communication channels that we use to make sure students understand how to ask for help and how to report,” Moore said.  

Moore encourages students to be a positive part of the Xavier community and to recognize that they do not need to be a part of social media platforms to have impact. “We expect all of our students to be good and take care of one another. That really is what I hope our students opt into, is being a positive and safe member of our community.”