Lakehead University does warn students about online comments

What Lakehead University students and staff say on social media can have repercussions, says the school’s vice-provost for student affairs.

Marian Ryks-Szelekovszky made the remarks in light of the ongoing controversy at Dalhousie University’s school of dentistry, where fourth-year students are under fire for allegedly posting sexist and misogynist comments in a private Facebook group.

The comments were directed a fellow students, according to a CBC News report.

Social-media use falls under the school’s code of student behavior. And while Lakehead hasn’t seen anything as serious as the Dalhousie incident, complaints have been lodged about social-media comments in the past.

Ryks-Szelekovszky said while not all students and staff fully understand they are responsible for what they say online and the possible fallout from their words, it’s a message that is starting to get across to more and more people.

“I think that’s something that students are becoming more and more aware of,” Ryks-Szelekovszky said. “And not just students, that’s also staff and faculty. What they say on social media is something that can come back and haunt them. It can affect them.

“It can affect their career, it can affect their employment.”

The key, she said, is education.

But just what is Lakehead doing?

Lakehead University Student Union is not offering advice to students on how to behave online.

However, Ryks-Szelekovszky says the school is slowly working its way in that direction.

“It’s part of our orientation programming. It’s also part of our training with respect to resume and job preparation, so that’s something that’s going on in an ongoing basis and will continue.”

She added schools do not look at social media accounts of prospective students before granting admission, something more and more employers are starting to request.

There’s not enough time or manpower to do that type of screening, she said. Nor is it something they would consider even if they did have the resources.

The school does react to complaints about social-media posts on a case-by-case basis.