An anonymous Twitter account donning the WT logo has exploded virtually overnight as various users post confessionals about crushes they have on particular WT students and explicit sexual statements about other students.
“[It’s] no doubt hilarious,” Josh Jinkens, junior Graphic Design major, said. “As a tool for students, it serves for an anonymous venue to release some steam. It makes for a great read too.”
The Twitter account @WTCrushes debuted April 10 and began using the website Ask.fm to relay the messages of various WT students via their Twitter accounts. Students wishing to post a crush navigate to the website linked in the account’s description and enter their message and then those behind the account post it to Twitter.
Since its creation the account has racked up 323 tweets and more than 1,000 followers. The posts of WT Crushes range from innocent shout-outs and declarations of love to silly pickup lines and thinly veiled innuendos. Though some are clean, the vast majority of the tweets drift into less than safe-for-work territory. While most of the posts pertain to current students, some mention former students and there are at least two mentions of WT faculty, though only one by name.
“I think the Twitter page is hilarious but can get pretty vulgar,” Summer Townsend, a senior Agriculture Communications major, said.
Some students expressed caution, warning that despite a disclaimer stating the account has no affiliation with the University, it could potentially harm WT’s reputation.
“As an impression on the University, some community members or prospective students’ parents may not be so enthused about the page,” Jinkens said.
“I hope most of the tweets are sent in as jokes,” Abbey Coufal, junior Advertising and Public Relations major, said. “A lot of them are inappropriate and negatively reflect on the University. It doesn’t show that students respect one another.”
In response to a tweet from a student concerned things could go too far, the account administrator replied “As long as people don’t get butt hurt it should be fine. Just have to laugh at it,” reinforcing the angle of light-hearted joking and stress-relief.
