Between classes, homework and other important collegiate business, students can sometimes eke out a moment of downtime. What they choose to do with it can range from enjoying nature to perusing one’s favorite Facebook page. One pair of students used this time to create and update Guilford College Confessions.

Guilford College Confessions is a Facebook page that provides a forum for people to comment on the goings on at Guilford anonymously. Topics discussed on the page are diverse from privilege in one post to a student’s secret love in another.

Due to the page’s anonymous nature, the administrators wished to remain unnamed.

“We really just started the page out of boredom,” said an administrator. “We were just hanging out, with nothing to do, and Admin 1 was like, ‘Wait. We should start a confessions page for Guilford.’”

Students submit confessions to an online survey that reports them to the admins.

“The SurveyMonkey survey is totally anonymous,” said an admin. “There is actually no way that you can save personal information about the responders.”

The anonymity of the page can be attractive to would-be confessors, but it can be a double-edged sword.

“(The anonymity) allows people to feel comfortable saying things that they wouldn’t necessarily say if their name was tied to it,” said an admin. “It’s awesome when someone gets the confidence to confess a crush on the page because it is anonymous, but we also have problems when people say nasty things because it is anonymous, and they don’t have to take any real responsibility for their words.”

Since its birth in March 2013, the page has accumulated over 600 likes and is a popular subject of discussion. Often, confessions will be comical. Other times, posts will have a more serious tone.

“When I was abroad, I pooped in my pants,” said one confessor.

A part from its entertainment value or the possible emotional relief, there is an even more practical benefit that Guilford College Confessions may provide.

“First-years do not really understand what Guilford is,” said first-year Conor Sastre, a follower and contributor to the page. “They have not been here that long, no one has talked to them, and they just do not have the best idea about what Guilford really is. If you go to a place like Guilford Confessions, then it will help to inform you on a more student-to-student level about what actually happens here.”

“It seems apparent that Guilford College Confessions meets some need for students to speak their mind without fear of judgment,” said regular commenter Assistant Academic Dean for Career Development and Community Learning Alan Mueller. “This should be a sign to those of us who work on this campus to be ever more intentional about creating inclusive and supportive communities.”

The page is open for everyone to see, regardless of your affiliation with Guilford. Its followers are students, alumni and faculty members. However, this begs a very important question.Is there a place for faculty members on a page that is mostly concerned with the personal lives of students?

“College differs from high school in that this is the beginning of students’ time as young adults,” said Mueller. “I believe that Guilford is a community and that faculty and staff participation in public conversations with students can be very positive.”

The page continues to grow and gain new members, and much of Guilford is watching. So, keep it smart, keep it quirky, keep it sweet, keep it weird but most of all, keep confessing.