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| Former Cadet Kyle Goldfarb took this selfie just before a formal dance. |
Chapter
5.12, article B.-3, under the Social Networking Policy in the New Mexico
Military Institute Blue Book states, “Posting photos, videos, comments or
postings showing the personal use of alcohol, tobacco, e.g., cans, shot
glasses, bottles or liquor, drugs, etc. are subject to suspension up to and
including dismissal.”
Social
media has been a phenomenon known to NMMI for over half a decade. Regimental
Commander Sarah Brown says, “When I first got here (2008), most of the cadets
used the landline phones in the rooms; only few actually had cell phones that I
knew of.” Social media has advanced greatly in six years, and for the cadets at
NMMI, the responsibility of keeping a clean slate on the internet has been a
tough one.
Per
the blue book, cadets are not even allowed to have there phones outside their
rooms, unless one is a First SGT and above.
The daily frenzy of Twitter and FaceBook keep cadets constantly checking for
the next notification of their uploaded status or picture. To attract more
likes, some cadets go to a length of putting theirs and NMMI’s reputations on
the line.
There
have been cases where students post discreditable pictures and pay the price
for it. NMMI alumni, Sam Turcotte, says, “I knew a kid that posted a picture of
him holding a lit cigarette and had a beer in the background. He was sent to
the infirmary for IDFY drug testing, and tested positive for alcohol. He was a
good kid, just made a dumb decision by being in that situation and posting the
picture.”
Selfies
and other photos can create havoc for the cadet if the photo was in an
inappropriate location or situation. Yet, cadets still get in trouble for
posting these pictures. These students must understand the repercussions of
what they put online because their profiles may be private, but it can still be
seen by invisible eyes.
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