Over winter break, I had a lot of free time. And, like most people, I filled those spare minutes with mindless scrolling through social media. As I spent time on Instagram, I noticed something interesting that kept appearing on my recommended — a number of Stevens gossip accounts. Not just a few, either. I found five without even trying, but there are probably many more. They’re all run basically the same way: people will DM the account some juicy Stevens drama and then the account owner will anonymously post it on their page. Other accounts can comment their opinion on the matter, discuss what the person should do and whether or not this is true “tea” or just someone overreacting. While most people use the accounts as a sort of mildly interesting entertainment, I think we may actually be able to learn something from the patterns of tips submitted. So, after doing some unofficial research on the matter, here’s what I learned from the Stevens Instagram tea accounts:
The first trend I noticed in the accounts was about Stevens’ policy and the way the school is run. Most recently, the posts have focused mostly on the protests on campus revolving around student mental health, safety on campus, and administrative transparency. Many talk about their own experiences with the issues and blame Farvardin for not taking enough action to resolve these issues. These posts bring to light the tension among students and highlight the clear divide in communication between the student body and administration. From what I’ve seen, there has been some attempt to connect the students with Stevens authority, but these anonymous messages argue it isn’t enough.
Next, I noticed the comments about the Stevens student ratio. It’s become a pretty well-known fact among students that there’s an approximate 70-30 ratio of guys to girls on campus. Among the tea accounts, they often cite the ratio as being the reason why many students are struggling to find girlfriends. I can’t speak for the LGBTQ+ side of campus, though, as most of the posts from the account appear to be based around girl/boy romances. But there’s definitely a relationship-based tension among students that is made clear by the anonymous postings on the accounts.
Finally, the last thing I saw were students wondering whether or not they had made the right decision to come to Stevens. Although these posts were Stevens-specific, this is not at all a Stevens-only matter. High school students try their best to choose a college that they think is their best fit. But there’s no way to actually know whether or not they made the right choice until it’s too late. You just have to hope and try to make the best of wherever you are. It’s no surprise that Stevens students are also experiencing these concerns. After all, with a $70k+ tuition, everyone on campus wants to make sure they’re spending their money wisely.
So, what’s the point of all this “tea-spilling”? For the anonymous students, it’s to get something difficult to talk about in public off their chest. For the students that follow the channels, it’s a chance to get a more personal look on what’s going on around campus. It’s easy to see the amount of negativity on the pages and think that’s what makes up the whole of Stevens, but I don’t think that’s the case. College is a stressful time, and when everyone is bogged down with coursework, it’s not uncommon for students to get annoyed or frustrated. Just remember that these accounts are proof that everyone is going through something, so be kind to everyone you see on campus — and don’t forget that although Stevens isn’t a perfect school, it’s our school.
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