Student fined for bringing UCL into disrepute with FitFinder site
May 31, 2010
The founder of a student flirting website has been fined £300 for bringing his university into disrepute.
The FitFinder, set up last month, combines Twitter and Facebook to allow students to exchange saucy messages on campus. The site received four million hits in its first month and has rapidly expanded to universities across the country.
Rich Martell, 21, a final-year computer sciences student at University College London, has taken the site down under pressure from university authorities, who were concerned that it was distracting students from their studies. Staff claim to have been contacted by a number of other universities unhappy about FitFinder.
Mr Martell was told that failure to pay the fine would put his degree at risk. In a letter to Mr Martell seen by The Times, Ruth Siddall, the Dean of Welfare (Students), wrote: “Following the serious complaints brought to this institution regarding the contents of the site and your association with it, I find myself having to bring a charge under UCL’s Disciplinary Code of Bringing the College into Disrepute. Therefore I am fining you £300.”
The letter added that non-payment of the fine, which is the maximum that can be awarded by the Dean for misconduct, would result in Mr Martell’s degree results being witheld.
FitFinder has gained national attention since its launch in April for its risque content and its wildfire-like spread. The site allows students to “spot” attractive people in libraries, cafes and lecture theatres, and post a message about them on the publicly visible site in the hope of getting a response.The site has been criticised by women’s groups, who cite sexually explicit comments as evidence of its offensive tone, while supporters argue that it is nothing more than friendly banter and a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun.
Last week, after finishing his final exam, Mr Martell decided to bow to the pressure and temporarily take down the site. “I just want an assurance by UCL that my degree isn’t going to be put in jeopardy,” he told The Times. He described the university’s stance on FitFinder, which he runs with two friends, as harsh. A petition to restore the site had more than 3,700 signatures yesterday.
Mr Martell has vowed to resume the service as soon as the safety of his university degree is guaranteed and said that it was an unfair reaction to a social networking site that he sees as no different to Facebook or Twitter. “If a UCL student posted something offensive on Facebook would they hold Mark Zuckerberg [the site’s founder] responsible?” he asked.
A university spokesman said: “UCL does not approve of or condone this site. We therefore advised the student to take the site down, but he declined to do this. UCL has no jurisdiction over the site, as it is not UCL-hosted. We have, however, taken disciplinary action against the student for bringing the college into disrepute and he has been fined.”
Source; http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 140721.ece
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