The recent creation of the Castleton-Hookups Facebook page has stirred up unnecessary drama around the Castleton campus and we believe something needs to be done about it.  It’s a misguided attempt at humor and it is simply not funny.

These posts enhance the already all too common rape culture that exists in college communities.

Our school has programs and organizations like the CHANGE initiative and PAC which attempt to help, guide and remind students that sex, relationships and abuse are a very big part of societal problems. According to student Sam Barrale, the hookups page has outraged these groups. This Facebook page goes against everything this school works so hard to rid itself of and bring awareness to.

Posting statements about sexcapades on campus is violating and immature. Some things are supposed to remain private for a reason.

Referring to girls as sluts, hoes and whores is part of the problem that men and women face daily. Unfortunately this seems to be a double standard where women are subjected to these names more often than men. Women are even referring to one another by these derogatory terms; girls, you should band together and stand up for each other not against one another.

When Castleton is typed into a search engine, Castleton-Hookups is one of the many things that pops up. Is this really how we want our school to be portrayed? Is this what we want our parents and prospective students to look at?

One person posted that he or she was watching from their window as girls come out of the Babcock shower and masturbating to it. Incase you are unaware this is sexual harassment.

These hookups are taking place on and off campus, in academic areas, sober and under the influence. Although the site remains anonymous it still says something about a persons character if they support a page like this and even more so to post on it.

We all need to take into consideration that yes, perhaps these things are taking place within our school community but they need to remain private. We are sure people are aware that these types of posts are being written and it can’t be a good feeling especially for some involved in the more detailed, embarrassing posts.

Sex is not a game and it is not a joke. If we acted like the 18-year-old and older adults that we say we are we would already know this.

We think whoever started this site should man-up and shut it down. There are better and more appropriate ways to get your point across.