People have have NO connection to UVa are posting on the Class of 2017 Facebook page and have also created a shadow group purporting to be connected to the University.
It seems some of the new members have started some controversial topics. If you're a member, I hope you'll flag the posts so the students who admin the page can get rid of them.
The people behind the second group are from a company that has been selling a roommate matching service for years. They often use a Facebook profile with the last name Blackwell, which is the case for this recent group that was created. If you want some background, check out this post and this post from the NY Time's admission blog, The Choice. Our students have created roommate surveys via their class Facebook group in past years, so I'm not sure UVa is a great market for that company. Regardless, I just wanted to post a heads up.
Obviously, you're free to join whatever groups you'd like on Facebook. If you join a UVa group, I hope you'll do a quick check to verify that the creator is somehow connected to the University.
The Class of 2017 Facebook page that I link to has two UVa ambassadors as admins. When the first year class elects their officers, the group will be handed over to them. I've been doing this for years and it has worked quite well. Older students still use their groups today to publicize events.
