@JCCCProbs: acknowledging the college’s oddities since 2012
By Valerie Velikaya
What began as a joke between two female sophomores has escalated into a popular venue for students to vent their frustrations about the college while providing the resources to create a better learning environment on campus.
The Twitter account @JCCCProbs was established in September 2012, gradually attracting the attention of students and faculty. The “parody” account, owned by two anonymous students, currently has 1,812 followers that bring to light some of the more perplexing aspects of the college.
The idea originated from friends who would re-tweet their universities’ problem accounts, expressed one of the account holders.
“I wondered why [the college] didn’t have one. I would see people do the weirdest things and I knew I couldn’t be the only one with stories to tell,” the creator said.
Such stories range from roaming the campus on stilts or being ever-so-cavalier about parking your vehicle (literally) against another. Behavior such as these will qualify you for a tweet – and a re-tweet.
“[The account] is a place for students to tell crazy things they have heard and send in pictures of people who suck at parking, leave their hair in the bathroom, juggling blades, etc.,” the creator said.
However, the Twitter account isn’t exclusively used for laughs. Software utilized by the college and other institutions alike pick up on keywords like #JCCC. This helps determine any potential threats lurking around campus.
“Our strategy is if we can get information before anything ever happens, that’s the best defense to anything,” said Dennis Day, vice president of Student Success and Engagement.
For example, “There was a slick spot on the sidewalks during the snow,” said Julie Haas, associate vice president, marketing communications. “We can respond, ‘thanks for letting us know,’ and give facilities a heads up that there’s a spot that needs a little extra treatment.”
Thanks to Twitter, the college has also successfully dealt with stalking cases, threats being made toward the college and other suspicious activities.
“I’d like to think that if there is an actual emergency on campus my account will come in handy,” said the account holder. “Many people do not have the text alerts and do not follow @JCCCTweet. @JCCCProbs would be able to spread the word fast.”
Aside from these sporadic occurrences, the account is strictly all in good fun.
Besides convincing the college to put a Chipotle in the café, the creator hopes that the account will “continue to grow and stay funny.”
“The students here are hilarious and the Fountain Crew usually puts on quite a show,” said the account holder.
Student Cheyenne McGinnis thinks the Twitter account is entertaining.
“I think it’s funny. You get up there and see how people react to stuff. I think it’s kind of intriguing to see what everybody says,” she said.
The account continues to climb in popularity, informing individuals of the strange, the comical and the downright bizarre facets of the campus.
“I had no idea it would be so successful,” said the account holder, “and I have to thank the students and staff who follow and continue to tweet to me.”
You can visit the @JCCCProbs page at twitter.com/JCCCProbs.
Contact Valerie Velikaya, news editor, at vvelikay@jccc.edu.