The student government association and administrators at Tennessee State University in Nashville banned JuicyCampus.com from being accessed on university networks and servers on Nov. 12, according to articles from the student newspaper, making TSU the first public university to ban the Web site.
The Meter, TSU’s weekly student newspaper, reported on Nov. 17 that Michael Freeman, vice president of student affairs, received a phone call from a concerned parent. He then spoke with the president of the student government association, other students and administrators and decided to ban the site.
Freeman said he believed the ban was what was best for the students and the universities, the article said.
In a letter from Juicy Campus CEO and President Matt Ivester that was sent to The Collegian and other news outlets and universities, Ivester said banning Juicy Campus had been considered on other college campuses including Harvard, Duke, Yale and Princeton but had been rejected to protect the first amendment.
JuicyCampus.com, a gossip Web site that allows people to anonymously post comments about specific universities, has sparked controversy nationwide on college campuses for its lack of regulation.
Contact staff writer Stephanie Rice at stephanie.rice@richmond.edu

Nov. 20, 2008
Richmond/Hanover, VA