Gossip and rumors are main staples on college campuses across the nation, and the website Juicy Campus (which was recently shut down), shows just how far people are willing to go to spread gossip. At some point in everyone’s life, gossip comes up – good or bad. Gossip, in moderation, can be just another thing, but in a culture that obsesses about pop culture and dishing dirt (think of websites like Perez Hilton), the fixation of dishing dirt about someone else isn’t going away any time soon.

Although many of us love to gather on Monday nights to watch Gossip Girl and watch the scandals of the Upper East Side unfold, no one likes it when their own personal life is exposed in the cafeteria over wilted lettuce or when private information rolls off the lips of classmates before the professor starts the class. While gossip may seem like something that comes and goes, it can leave its dirty scars behind all too often.

Maybe because it’s an all-women’s college and women often use each other to bring others down, or maybe it is the size of the university, but the Hollins rumor mill never seems to cease on campus. It constantly peeks its nasty little head around the corner for students that least expect it. Whether it hurts friendships, ruins reputations, or isolates students from campus events — gossip can cause tremendous damage.

Remember when my mom and I met with the President to discuss the bullying that happened my first year? Well, upon arrival at Hollins for my sophomore year, the student body buzzed (never to my face, though) with the rumor that Hollins implemented a bullying policy because of me… being a bully. No one knew that my mom and I brought forth the issues that happened with me because of a bully on campus, demanding the President to come up with a bullying policy. No one knew what happened to me as a first year. However, everyone seemed to accuse me of things that I did not do.

Time after time, I have met girls on campus who tell me how “mean” I sounded from other students’ tales of meetings with me. One of my friends was even warned by another student to not be my friend. Whenever I hear these stories, the people who spoke out against me are always peers I have never met myself. They are usually students who I have never had contact with. How can anyone pass judgment before they have met someone else, especially in the context of putting someone else down? I don’t know how anyone could go around talking so negatively about someone else, when they have never personally had an experience with that person.

I have seen gossip make people unable to maintain decent friendships on campus, as well. For example, this girl named Emma (name changed) was known around campus to have a “private jet,” an extensive collection of designer apparel in her closet, and people even talked of her having major connections to the sports industry. Girls on campus thought they would take advantage of Emma by befriending her, only to go into her closet and steal her designer clothes. Not only would they go and steal her stuff, but they would talk about taking from her because she deserved it as a “rich kid.”

Truth is, Emma does not have a private jet (although her dad is a pilot), she doesn’t have immediate connections to the sports industry, and the only designer clothes she owns come from outlet malls. Now, whenever students meet Emma for the first time, they can’t get past her “rich kid” reputation. How can Emma expect to make friends on campus when everyone seems to focus on what they heard about her, instead of actually getting to know her?

Talk spreads like wildfire. I see it all the time. Just walk into the cafeteria on Monday morning and other people know where you were over the weekend. How? My first reaction to this, when it happened to me, was that those who were asking found out from Facebook. Since then I have had to make my Facebook entirely private, along with many other students on campus, in order to have any privacy. Though the gossip has not ceased.

Worst of all, it doesn’t help when the administration plays into the whole “Guess what I heard about you” game. On more than one occasion I have heard of students going to speak with the Dean of Students or head of Residence Life, only to come out with gossip from other students told to them by the authority figure who uses the gossip against them. If the administration lends an ear to gossip, of course the student body is going to keep it up.

I have heard many rumors about myself here at Hollins, and 99% of them never happened, resemble nothing from the truth, and have no merit. At first, I am not going to lie, the rumors really bothered me. A lot of them were hurtful, and a lot of them have stuck (despite not being true), but there comes a point when you have to displace yourself from that, even when it seems like everyone is talking about you. There have been so many times when I have seen my fellow peers break down about something that was said about them, and even though you want to stand up and say “No – that’s not true! That didn’t happen!” you can’t, and it doesn’t seem right or fair.

If sisterhood exists at Hollins, then why does gossip own the souls of most students? Whenever someone hears something that is obviously not true, no one speaks up – they just go along with it, and that is unacceptable. I am sick of hearing gossip about people and myself, especially at a school that talks about the loyalty and respectfulness of its students. If Hollins continues to let rumors take hold of the student body, I believe there will be no way to return to a clean, respectful state in the student body. No one will be able to avoid it, and that just seems entirely too extreme.

I know Hollins isn’t alone in this gossip battle – tell me about your school and how big of an impact gossip has on the student body? What is the worst rumor you have ever heard about yourself or someone else? Do you think gossip, in moderation, is healthy or just vicious in any degree? Time to share your story!

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Fabulous bags on the cheap? Sign us up!

J. Simpson getting married for the second time?

Homer accidentally votes for McCain

Jolie-Pitt family comes to NY (most likely filling a plane on their own):

Being that I have a giant obsession with The Hills, I have forced a lot of my friends to watch it over the years. Obviously, they had no choice if they happened to be anywhere near my house on a Monday night; but it also happens to be the only thing I talk about/reference, so most of my friends felt it necessary to watch in order to understand me when I refer to their new bangs as totally Pratt-Tastic. Or if I refer to someone’s lame ass BF as a Poor (wo)Man’s Justin Bobby.

But just because they watch it doesn’t mean they love it like I do. In fact, as last nights season finale was coming to a dramatic close, I received this text from a friend:

“The Hills is the suckiest sucky show ever. I want to shove forks into my eyes.”

Clearly, this friend doesn’t see the show for the super fantastic hot mess that it really is. And that makes me sad.

Kinda like how Lo makes me sad. I used to be so obsessed with her; she was my favorite member of The Hills crew because she was down to earth, funny and totally an anti-diva. What the hell happened to that Lo? I didn’t know when I interviewed her that she would turn out to be such a bitch. I mean, she never even mentioned kicking Audrina to the curb and hogging LC for herself. Even worse, she somehow makes it seem like she is the victim in all of this because Audrina isn’t the best friend she had hoped she’d be living with. This is a new side of Lo and I just don’t like it. Not one bit.

Lauren, not surprisingly, doesn’t see Lo for the bitch she has become and decides it must be Audrina’s fault that she is drifting. LC never was very good at choosing the right people to surround herself with. Remember Jason? And Stephen? And Heidi? And Stephanie Pratt? Ugh, the list just goes on and on.

Knowing all that, it doesn’t surprise me that she starts to push away the only person who ever really was truly good to her: Audrina. So, Lauren decides to head out to the back house for the first time ever and have a chat with her former bestie. I have to say that while I completely know that this show is fake (admit it, people) this scene really felt real. Did you see Lauren’s bottom lip shaking as she fought back her tears? And then how she got so defensive the minute Audrina tried to point out all the times she was totally dissed?

“WHEN?! WHEN DID I DO THAT!?”

Lauren really epitomizes the self-fulfilling prophecy (remember that concept from Psych 101? Study up, ladies). Ever since Laguna Beach, MTV has made Lauren seem like the innocent one in everything and now she really believes it. Tsk, tsk, Lauren. It’s time to own up to your mistakes, otherwise you’re going to lose a really important person: me, your former biggest fan.

Obviously, the LC drama wasn’t the main event in last night’s finale. That award goes to the Heidi and Spencer reunion. This whole story left me with so many questions:

1. Did MTV have Heidi work at Bolthouse just to advertise this new hotel that will be going up in Vegas?

2. What exactly was Heidi’s role in this whole business deal? And why was she invited along to work on it with the Godfather and his two associates?

3. What the hell did Spencer say that got Heidi to turn down a sick job/ride home on a private jet in favor of him?

4. Where did Stephanie go? Is she still at Valet?

Ah, another L.A. girl bites the dust and chooses a douchey boyfriend over a killer job opportunity. And why not? Those jobs come easy in The Hills! Heidi will just head home and get another one. Or, God forbid, make another record.

I guess we’ll find out next season. Until then, I suppose I’ll have to watch Real World. Barf.

As if we all needed yet another reason why Beyonce is obnoxious, watch one minute and two seconds worth of self-indulgent crap.

The ad wizards for American Express could have easily gone with a cute and fun idea like they did with Ellen’s version, but their new commercial featuring the ex Destiny’s Child star is gag worthy.

Now, let’s all throw one big, giant pity party for our girl B, cause, you know…flying to Madrid on a private jet to do a dance rehearsal, breaking a pump, wearing a designer gown that costs a bajillion dollars, these are all really unfortunate things that we can all relate to.

Good thing you have that laptop and tons of money in your American Express account, or else you wouldn’t have been able to buy a boomerang! Phew!

Now, bite me.