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Karen Alonzo's name no longer turns up in the directory of Stanford University, where she has been assistant director of admission.
Her disappearance from the directory follows the publication in The Fountain Hopper, a student publication, of an article about Alonzo's posts on social media, in which she used profanity, (favorably) discussed alcohol and noted her preference for black men. The article also revealed that Alonzo has been in charge of social media for Stanford undergraduate admissions and, through that account, liked some of her personal posts.
Social media is much discussed in admissions -- typically with regard to whether college admissions officials should monitor the posts of applicants, and whether applicants need to "clean up" their Facebook pages and other social media accounts. A significant minority of admissions officers do look, at least sometimes, at the posts of applicants.
Alonzo could not be reached and Stanford is commenting on the case only in a statement without her name. "We are vigilant about the integrity of our admissions process. We are conducting a thorough investigation into this matter and also have taken interim measures while the investigation is under way," the statement said.
Alonzo is a 2011 Stanford graduate, and she is among the recent alumni hired by admissions offices all over the country. Of course, recent graduates may be used to posting nonprofessional matters to social media. She's not the first to have her social medial scrutinized.
In 2013, a University of Pennsylvania admissions officer was found to be mocking prospective students online -- including sharing bits and pieces from applications. She quickly became a former admissions officer.
David Hawkins, executive director for educational content and policy at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said that "the lines of engagement have shifted and blurred with the advent of social media" and that many admissions offices struggle with how to guide their staff members.
W. Kent Barnds, executive vice president for external relations at Augustana College, who also supervises enrollment strategy at the college, said part of the challenge is that he and many colleagues encourage the use of social media by their staff members. Many prospective students are engaged that way, he said.
The caution he provides is that anything that comes from an admissions officer on social media is viewed as coming directly from the college. "It's a lot like the advice I give new admissions officers about visiting a high school or doing a college night," Barnds said. "You are not representing the college -- you are the college."
And Barnds said that disclaimers such as "tweets are mine" don't change the association of a social media account by an admissions officer with the college.
Via email, he shared four pieces of advice for new admissions officers.
- Through your social media presence, you are the college. Act like it.
- Don't ever engage defensively about something related to the institution you represent. Pick up the phone or at least offer to speak directly to someone.
- Think before you post.
- Remember how you reacted to that first really inappropriate email address or Twitter handle and how you felt at the time. Is there anything on your own social media that might make others feel similarly?
At the same time, Barnds said, he doesn't have a formal policy on social media and favors education instead.
Don Hossler, senior scholar at the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice at the Rossier School of Education of the University of Southern California, said that the incident points to the need for training of new admissions officers, beyond their official duties.
"Typically colleges and universities do not do a good job of providing training in any areas, including this area," he said.
