An unlikely news source has emerged…

Yes, I am embarrassed to admit this, but I am an avid Sidechat user. I know many of you reading are too (don’t lie). I simply enjoy the never-ending memes, jokes, and commentary about Columbia’s chaos. Especially when it can feel like you’re alone or your observations go unnoticed, Sidechat is there to let you know that you aren’t the only one witnessing what happens at this university. That being said, Sidechat also functions as a news source for the Barnumbia community, albeit not always reliable. 

To those unaware, Sidechat is an app where people can anonymously post comments, pictures, videos, etc., and receive upvotes or downvotes, depending on whether people view it positively or negatively. Information of any kind can spread rapidly on Sidechat, with posts gaining traction as soon as enough people hit upvote. By nature, its easy for news to circulate, especially when it appears to be time-sensitive, and people think other students should know about it as soon as possible.

So, as I opened Sidechat for my daily scroll on Sunday, I was utterly surprised to see posts complaining of guests not being allowed onto campus. I checked my emails later to see that, just as Sidechat had said, guest policies had begun to change in preparation for October 7th. Many felt blindsided, as there was little notice of these new policies and the news had only been buried in administrative emails a few hours before. 

This is just one instance in which the student body communicates more quickly and efficiently with each other than the administration communicates with the students. This calls me back to April when Barnard students wouldn’t find out for hours, even days, about information Columbia had received through email unless we were scrolling through Sidechat to keep updated (which, luckily, many of us were). Most of the time, this information would affect all affiliated Columbia colleges, not just Columbia College. 

Sidechat allows for quick communication with an even faster response time to events than the university, and it points to a more significant problem of communication between the administration and the student body. Students shouldn’t have to get the most updated information on campus news through media apps that are often unscreened, unreliable, and sometimes skew the real news. You may say they should read the student newspapers, which, although amazing and efficient, don’t provide hour-to-hour updates daily. 

Another problem Sidechat exposes is the student body’s anger over issues they feel the university could fix easily. The students don’t feel heard, so Sidechat provides the perfect outlet for students to express their frustration with the administration and their policies. 

But, of course, Sidechat isn’t the most reliable source. There’s spread of misinformation, rumors, and downright incorrect facts. Sidechat has moments in bringing the community of Columbia together to warn, inform, and educate each other, but just cannot continue as our go-to source in navigating Columbia’s campus. 

Image via Bwog Archives