The blissful anonymity of confessionals has found its place at CU on Facebook. CU Boulder Confessions came to be at the end of January and already has upwards of 6,000 likes. Behind it is a sophomore business major known as the “Admin” who has chosen to remain anonymous.
“I’m already looking for people to recruit to be admin with me sometime in the future,” the Admin said.
Modeled after a similar page she’d seen at another school, CU Boulder Confessions has become a home to a myriad of confessions, a variety of them sexually charged, humorous, dark and sometimes disturbing disclosures.
“I feel like a significant number of the confessions are fake,” said Jesse Call, a freshman political science major, “but regardless, some of them are funny. I think the page proves that we’re all a little more bisexual than some of us would care to admit.”
The page has acted as a coming-out platform for the nameless and curious. Many common confessions are based around bi-curiosity, and people’s desires for casual sex and vomiting in strange places.
One confession reads, “I have a paper due at 8 a.m. I am literally eating coffee grounds right out of the can.”
Others are more serious, often dealing with depression or anxiety.
“To all the depressed folks out there: if you’re thinking of self harming, find a way around it. I took up guitar so that I could hurt without leaving any scars of the shit I went through, and it’s helped me a lot. I’ve been dealing with depression for years, and while it doesn’t always seem like it, you’ll be okay in the end.”
These heavier confessions are often lost in the slew of humorous, lighter sort, reflecting on weekend shenanigans, walks of shame and squirrels on campus.
“I enjoy it because there’s always an odd mix of ‘confessions’ that bash people and others that build people up,” said Lizzy Van Horne, a senior French major. ”Like ‘boys are scumbags!’ And ‘f**k those hobags’ Versus the ‘stay strong brothas!’”
But the Admin insists she refuses to post confessions that have “anything to do with race or class, sexuality [or] gender” or anything that might offend someone.
Some confessions were alarming to the Admin, making her less open about revealing her identity.
“Confessions that scared me [are] ones that are directly addressed to me,” she said. “They were usually kind of threatening. But I didn’t pay any attention to them. It was just kind of weird for me.”
But the lightheartedness and banter that occurs on the page has kept students busy for hours, oftentimes keeping them from homework or studying, including the Admin herself.
“I get hundreds or maybe more during a day,” she said. “Being the admin isn’t that easy. I enjoy it but it’s just really tiring. Coming home at 10 at night and seeing 200 confessions, you don’t want to go through those.”
Without her hard work, the kids of CU would be burning their time elsewhere. They might as well find solace in sharing with fellow classmates, and it’s easier than having to go to church.
Check out the page here.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Megan Curry at Megan.l.curry@colorado.edu.