Our University has been free of JuicyCampus for about three weeks. The popular college gossip Web site shut down because of the economic turmoil and lack of resources. While there may be some who are wondering what to do with all of their extra free time, most of us should rejoice in the fact that this despicable, hate-filled site got exactly what it deserved.

Sure, the idea behind JuicyCampus made sense in theory. Anonymous users could have the ability to exercise free speech for their respective college campus and not worry about being identified. Personally, I’m all for free speech, but I’m also logical and use my brain. With that said, college students slandering each other is not the best way to promote this freedom of expression.

Posts on the site usually were along these lines: (insert name here) slept with (insert, usually large, number) of (guys/girls) and is a total (deleted expletive). Or maybe someone would discuss which fraternity or sorority was the “best” on campus for the 1,535th time. And, of course, we can’t forget about people who just wanted to get their 15 minutes of fame and would post something ridiculous about themselves and how they made out with a porn star and then got into a fight with 33 cops outside of Kam’s.

Not only that, but the Web site became pretty controversial with the amount of shooting spree threats, and as a result, a few universities even went as far as blocking the Web site from their networks.

Although that might not fly for all those anti-censorship proponents out there, I personally think those university officials made a wise move just considering how pathetic the Web site was.

Frankly, what JuicyCampus turned out to be was nothing more than DryCrap. The fact that Matt Ivester, founder, took pride in the 1 million users each month and more than 500 universities represented is extremely disturbing. How can so many people buy into mindless garbage?

It is rather appalling that students on our campus, or any for that matter, actually wasted their time on this Web site. Facebook at least has a legitimate purpose with social networking. Ivester created JuicyCampus with the intent to revolutionize gossip on college campuses.

Is gossip really still the “in” thing to do? I thought I left that nonsense in high school. College is supposed be the time to better yourself, try new things, expand your horizons and move past the drama-filled days of being a teenager.

Strange enough, there are a lot of people that still believe in petty rumors, arbitrary rankings and talking about others behind their backs. There really isn’t a middle ground with gossip; you either buy into it, or you ignore it. There are many reasons why you should do the latter, but the main one is that if everyone ignores gossip, then it will gradually cease to exist.

Rumors and gossip, although sometimes harmless and unimportant, have power to destroy lives and can be taken very seriously, i.e. the lawsuits against JuicyCampus for harassment and defamation of certain students.

Unfortunately, when one giant falls, many others are born.

New Web sites have been popping up on the radar, and JuicyCampus even went as far as to offer an alternative Web site for all one’s gossip needs, ridiculous as it may seem.

Of course, it’s impossible to kill gossip completely, but as college students, it is important for us to be mature, put an end to slander and do more to take the next steps towards becoming a professional.

There’s plenty of better things that you can do with your time, but if the gossip monkey on your back is simply too much to handle, indulge yourself in the world of television’s “Gossip Girl.” And if you’re a guy, just go watch Sportscenter or drink a protein shake.

Remy is a junior in communication and English and wants you to spend your time online voting in the Student Election next Tuesday and Wednesday.