Students from the class of 2014 have created profiles on Facebook, much to the dismay of many current AU students who feel that the privilege to register on the social networking Web site should be reserved until the prospective students arrive at college, or at least until they graduate from their local D.A.R.E. programs.
Carrie Gladstein, president of the "AU Class of 2014" Facebook group, was one of the first in the class to register on Facebook.
"We have just as much of a right to be on the FB as anyone else," Gladstein said. "Sure, we won't be at AU for another four years, but that doesn't mean we can't start making friends and creating inane groups now."
The freshmen-to-be have joined Facebook groups like wildfire, with memberships ranging from clubs they think they might want to join when they arrive here in 2010 to groups revolving around private jokes they don't fully understand. Some have even taken the initiative to start their own groups, to the chagrin of current AU students like Joe Geffler, who believes that Facebook membership is a privilege, not a
right.
"I think it is ridiculous that they are creating their own groups already," Geffler said. "These kids haven't even graduated from middle school yet. They probably haven't even gone through puberty."
Actually, many students from the class of 2014 have already started to become real adults, finding hair in strange and wonderful places. The Facebook group "Puberty makes my body feel all tingly" has 321 members, and the "I just got my period!!!" group has a staggering 526.
Suzanne Drotten, the creator of the latter group, has used many of Facebook's features, creating an elaborate profile. According to her site, her interests include "The Babysitters Club, Harry Potter, Radio Disney, Old Navy flip-flops and my social studies teacher, Mr. Smith (what a hottie!!!)."
Drotten's parents were shocked to find that she had created a page on Facebook.
"Mama Drotten and I aren't too happy that Suzie is already meeting college folk," said Pete Drotten, Suzanne's father. "It seems like just last week that she was hugging Mickey down at Disneyworld. Well, that was last week, actually, but you know what I mean."
Gladstein said that her parents have reacted positively to her eager embrace of college life, even helping her create a Facebook photo album of her Bat Mitzvah from earlier this year.
"This is just another step in growing up," Gladstein said. "If kids at AU can't accept that we're on Facebook, then there is only one person for them to talk to. My hand"
