On Elon University’s campus there was a Snapchat account where footage of drug use, alcohol use, naked women and other inappropriate pictures and videos were featured. The account was called “elon.snap,” and was accessible to any user who added the account as a friend.
“Elon.snap” was still actively updating and posting until recently.
Snapchat allows for users to snap photos or videos and send them to friends as well as create a “My Story” for all of their followers to view for 24 hours. Users have the option to follow public a “My Story” from celebrities as well.
The footage on “elon.snap” was available, as in any other Snapchat account, for 24 hours as a “My Story.” Everyday occurrences on the account included alcohol, marijuana, smoking accessories and naked women, often geotagged at Elon.
Students often sent their own content to the account. More shockingly, they have also sent photos in of their peers without their consent.
Junior Nina Stevens was surprised to see herself on the account when she checked it one day. She did not personally send in a photo to the account, but she was featured.
“I felt really victimized because I didn’t remember sending it in,” Stevens said. “I think I’d be fine with it if I knew I sent it in.”
An ulterior motive
Adam Constantine, ‘10, who works for Elon as social media manager in the Office of University Communications, said he doesn’t believe the account was run by anyone at Elon.
Instead, he assumed whoever was in charge of the account was using it as a vehicle to attract people to download and use the app “Fleek College Stories,” and that this app is being used at many other schools for the same purposes.
The account frequently posted an image prompting followers to download a separate app, “Fleek College Stories,” if they wanted to see the “full story,” as material deemed inappropriate for Snapchat. With nudity and recreational drug use being common on the Snapchat story, this begged the question of what exactly the “full story” would contain.
The message also acknowledged that the account expected to be banned soon. Whoever was operating this account was seemingly aware that what they were posting was in poor taste, yet the operator continued to do so
regardless.
But, the Fleek story featured many of the same images as the Snapchat story.
According to Constantine, a major problem is that the account could have been run by a user not associated with the school, and though it has the Elon name in it, it is up to Snapchat to shut down the account rather than Elon.
Constantine said he is not sure how the account is taking pictures from users and reposting, but he assumes they used one of the many screen-grabbing apps available from the app store.
On Jan. 31, images from Bid Day activities were also posted on the story, further confirming that some of the footage was coming from Elon or Elon students. These images could be screenshotted by anyone following the account, and the images could end up anywhere.
An obstacle shutting down the operation, besides the obvious illegal activity broadcast to anyone who cared to watch, is that finding the operator of the account is nearly impossible. Without access to the Snapchat system, the account is anonymous.
Viewing ‘elon.snap’
Sophomore Christina Smith does not have a Snapchat account but heard of the “elon.snap” account through friends and has seen some of the footage.
“I saw nudes on there,” Smith said. “I was confused. And disturbed.”
In addition to having poor taste, those who sent footage to this account might not realize the legal or academic trouble they can get themselves into. Underage consumption or possession of alcohol and possession or use of drugs are both Elon Honor Code violations under section C: responsibility (social policies) and can result in fines, suspensions or even expulsions from the university, as stated in the Code of Conduct available on the university website.
Constantine has reached out to Snapchat and made them aware of the “elon.snap” account and how it may be violating their “Acceptable Use” policy. Snapchat has yet to respond.
In the meantime, Constantine continues to contribute to the official Elon University Snapchat account @elonuniversity, which is used to promote on-campus events. He doesn’t feel like there is any confusion between “elon.snap” and the official account — and even if there was, he feels people would catch on pretty quickly that elon.snap is not sponsored or affiliated with the university.
The Pendulum reached out to the account via Snapchat if they would be interested in sharing how the account works and were given the option to remain anonymous. But no response was given.
Motivations behind adding the account mostly stemmed from curiosity.
“I added it because my friend said it was just Elon students posting,” Stevens said.
The true content of the account, though, is rattling to many.
“I was a little skeptical that it was actually from Elon students,” said freshman Julia Roy. “I saw something on there that was like ‘High Point over Elon’ and it didn’t really make sense that an Elon student would say that.”