On October 25, all undergraduate students received an email from the Dean of Students office about an Instagram account called “Gossipgirl_hamline.” Based on the popular show, “Gossip Girl,” the account aims to encourage students to submit tips in order to dox their classmates and expose them for things they have done. 

This account is not the first of its kind. Other Instagram and TikTok accounts like “@hamlineconfessions” and now deleted account “@hamlinebackgrounds” have similar goals of ‘exposing’ classmates and sometimes blatantly lying. 

“@hamlinebackgrounds” in particular was filming students on campus without their consent and captioned the videos with made up descriptions of the people in the videos. While real names were not used, filming students without them knowing is an extreme violation of privacy.

All of these accounts should be called out for what they are doing: cyberbullying. And even if someone has done something that they deserve to be called out for, this is not the way to do it. Hiding behind a screen to critique others is in no way brave or heroic.

The Oracle stands against this behavior and understands the harm that these accounts can cause, regardless of whether or not you have been specifically targeted. We hope to foster a community of growth and compassion, and understand how important privacy is to students. 

If you have been directly targeted by these accounts, the Dean of Students office asks that you report it. Additionally,  if you have been affected in any way by the actions of these accounts in any way, here are some on campus resources to turn to for support.

Health and Counseling Services (counselinghealth@hamline.edu)

Rabbi Esther Adler (eadler01@hamline.edu)

Chaplain Kelly Figueroa-Ray (kfigueroaray01@hamline.edu) 

Your Editors,

Andrea Lindner: Editor-in-Chief

Elizabeth Lowe : Managing Editor 

Jacob “Coby” Aloi: Multimedia Editor 

Olivia Koski: A&E Editor

Cathryn Salis: Sports Editor

Eliza Hagstrom: Variety Editor 

Anika Besst: News Editor