North Texas Daily

If you could tell thousands of fellow students your hopes, dreams and darkest secrets without fear, what would you say?

That’s the question UNT Confessions, a Facebook group created this year, hopes you’ll answer. The group allows anyone to submit an anonymous confession about the trials and tribulations of their student life, and the best confessions are posted on the group’s main wall for the world to see and discuss.

Whether these confessions gather cheers or jeers, their popularity stays the same. In fact, the group currently stands at more than 1,700 “likes” and counting.

So what are UNT students confessing, anyway? Vents about roommate troubles and dating drama are rampant, but a few posts reach for something more serious.

Thankfully, the Facebook users who comment on these confessions aren’t anonymous, and when an individual complains of emotional stress, abuse or self-destructive urges, the confession is often accompanied by a flood of support and advice from students on how to get help and stay sane through the stresses of college life.

Responses like these, above any other hilarious prank or drunken exploit are why groups like this one are so popular. It’s an uplifting reminder that school spirit means more than cheering at football games — it’s about taking care of each other when things get tough.

But not all confessions end on such a positive note. Angry criticism of UNT employees and professors is fairly common, along with fairly obscene sexual innuendo from “secret admirers.” It’s almost as if anonymity completely removes our sense of shame.

We’re sure the object of your affection wouldn’t be so thrilled if he or she discovered you were describing their body in careful detail on the Internet. But that’s why it’s anonymous, right?

One confessor claims to work in the Kerr dining hall, and admits to spitting in the food “regularly.” Yikes. For the sake of our stomachs, let’s hope that one’s just a prank. Otherwise, we’ll start eating at Bruce.

Despite the rough, often gross edges, there’s a kind of charm to the stark honesty of UNT Confessions. Whether we’re cringing at a stinging rebuke from an unknown jilted lover or laughing at tales of the craziest roommates you can imagine, it’s oddly comforting to share in the stresses and successes experienced by our fellow students.

Just don’t take them all seriously, or you might get a little paranoid.