“They aren’t a bunch of drunken faculty having orgies, but they post things about students,” said Deborah Moriarty, a professor in the College of Music and Steering Committee member at large at the last meeting earlier this month.

She asked whether or not MSU should have some sort of standard policy on faculty members’ use of Facebook.

According to Faculty Senate Vice Chair Sue Carter, a professor in the School of Journalism who teaches media law and ethics, while she doesn’t know of any set policy for social media at MSU, there is a “rule of thumb” for professors to follow to keep things professional.

Carter said it is typical for faculty members not to become Facebook friends with students until after they graduate and many faculty members, herself included, will never post about students. She said many faculty members don’t even use Facebook.

“The use of social media is changing, but that’s not to say that the ethics (are),” she said. “Simply because it’s a new medium does not mean we have to research a new set of ethics. As professors, we know what they are.”

But opinions on the subject differ, said integrative studies in the arts and humanities instructor Molly Cryderman-Weber, who is friends with some of her students on Facebook. She said she sees no harm in posting something positive about her students when they achieve something in her class or have said something funny.

“I try not to do anything that’s negative,” she said. “I don’t want to be part of the negativity of the web, and I try to be my own island of decency.”

Cryderman-Weber said although it would be hard for people to agree on the set guidelines for university faculty and Facebook, it would be beneficial to set some regulations in regards to protecting privacy.

It is this privacy line graduate student Philip Rice said he is uncertain to cross when he sees professors pop up in his “suggested friends.”

“Do I want them to see my posts and also, do they want me to see their posts?” Rice said. “It would be the worst if I added them and they didn’t add me back. I would be like, ‘Oh my gosh, shouldn’t have done that.’ Sometimes it’s better just to not even go there.”

Carter agrees there are different circumstances for staying professional on social mediums. She is Facebook friends with students who she has gone on study abroad with because they have developed a more personal relationship, she said.

For social relations and policy junior Chris Ross, connecting with his James Madison College professor on Facebook is an easy way to stay in touch and get the most accurate information about his own study abroad program in Amsterdam this summer.

“It’s more informal in the matter that we can find out when different meetings are and be informed more effectively than with ANGEL,” he said.

“It seems like more of a conversation, which I find helpful.”