“None shall pass”: Facebook blocked again on campus
- posted: 08 Apr. 2008
- scrollcampus@byui.edu
Students trying to access the Facebook network on campus have been greeted by the message, “Your organization’s Internet use policy restricts access to this web page at this time.” BYU-Idaho has again denied access to this social network site on campus.
“Facebook has been blocked on campus because the university does not have enough bandwidth to support it as much as students want to use it,” said Aethel Bosen, public relations director for the Student Representative Council and a senior studying English.
“The university is working toward expanding the bandwidth, but in the meantime, academics is more important and, therefore, has top priority,” Bosen said.
Facebook is a Web site where students from high school and college can keep in touch with friends by sending them messages and social applications.
“A lot of students might spend too much time on Facebook to the point where they neglect other worthwhile activities, even social activities,” said Steven Clark, a freshman studying accounting.
Some students report spending large amounts of time on the Web site; others maintain that they never use it. “I think all these social sites are a waste of time,” said Matt Kelly, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering. “People spend way too much time in a virtual life.”
Kelly said he knows people who get home from school and spend up to two or three hours on Facebook every night.
Some students fall somewhere in the middle range of Facebook users. Clark said he only uses the site every two weeks or so.
Michelle Hillman, a freshman studying general education, is among those who access the Web site daily. She said that blocking Facebook on campus presents a mild inconvenience.
“The Internet just doesn’t work at my apartment,” she said. “It’s frustrating at times. I still think that it should be people’s choice [to access Facebook].”
A broad range of content is available on Facebook, from simple messages and photos from friends to applications that allow users to create virtual characters and take interactive quizzes.
“Sometimes there’s something questionable on Facebook,” Clark said. “Most of the stuff isn’t bad.” 
