Would you report this group chat?

[Fabulously]

My university has a student forum where the module chair shared details of a group chat he created for students to get study support. The group chat is not officially endorsed by the university but has well over 100 students and university staff members included such as tutors.

I’ve only been in it a week (haven’t posted anything) - but it gets heated; the module chair sends frequent edgy jokes about politics, disabilities, schools etc. Others join in with more outright inappropriate messages about immigration and benefits & the like, arguing ensues.

Earlier today, he got into a full argument with one of the students who started insulting the module chair’s mother in response, module chair responded in kind - basically a bizarre dispute. Would you just exit the chat or also make some attempt to report the unprofessional messages? I feel uncomfortable reporting given staff members are involved, as I wouldn’t want it to impact my studies! But at the same time it makes me look at the university differently, if the staff act like this, like I wouldn’t go to that module chair for help if I had to.

Can you report it anonymously sending a link to the chat? Yes you should report it if its discriminatory or contains hate speech.

“It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies and nosers−out of unorthodoxy.” —George Orwell, 1984

Definitely, be a good member of the Red Guard. Well done for trying to crush anyone having thoughts you disapprove of, words you don't like and feelings you think should be outlawed.

Good for you. Hitler, Pol Pot, Chairman Mao and every single dictator in history from both ends of the spectrum salutes you. Get on there, report it. Nothing will be done about it, sadly, because free speech has not quite been stamped out in the UK.

But you can get all those feelings out at the next two minute hate.

Uh? Of course you should exit and report it. Its entirely inappropriate and you don’t want to get caught up in it.

Just leave the group.

I'd just leave the group if I didnt like the content.

You've only been in the chat for a week. You.haven't got the feel of the people or the chat yet. I wouldn't go running to report anyone just yet.
The hot topics of the day will probably be discussed - and should be. Are you saying there should.be no debate? Or that only the most politically correct ideas should be aired? If you don't agree with people debate
with them , don't inform on them behind their backs or write anonymous notes.

If it has genuinely upset you then you should report it. If you simply disapprove of it then I would just leave them to it.

Simply leave the group and get on with your life.

You need to report it. If the group was just for students I would urge you to just leave but it also contains tutors. It is inappropriate for them to be arguing or agreeing with students in this manner for one simple reason: at the end of the year they will be marking the students exam submissions and I would argue that being in this group could create a bias in their judgement. To my mind it is highly unprofessional for tutors to be involved.

UNLESS as part of the module tutors are playing devil’s advocate as a provocation to spark debate and develop the students’ critical thinking. Are you sure that you understand the true purpose of the group?

Why does everything need yo be "reported" all the time. Every day on here theres someone "reporting" some fairly minor thing to their employer, their school, the council, social services. Just leave the group if you don't like it but there's no harm in groups of students and lecturers debating current issues. You don't need to "tell" every time someone says something you don't like.

Leave if you want to but I wouldn’t bother reporting it, these are what are supposed to be adults talking. If it tips into calls for ethnic cleansing then yeah report but theres a line between people saying stuff you don’t like and stuff that needs to be reported.

The chat is referred to as a mathematical help forum (mathematics degree), my understanding from the forum post is that the group chat is supposed to be module technical support although from what I’ve seen the chat is more like a private chat.

The posts in the group chat by the module chair are ranting about their child’s school basically, child having trouble with another child with special needs, how school spending too much time on pandering to them, mentioned diagnoses of that child and suggested parents involved on benefits, discussions on governors involved & how shit they are. Module chair seems quite popular, they were supported in chat & discourse just landed into more outright discriminatory comments. Some student later made reference to the module chair’s mother, massive argument ensued. Think hundreds of messages over the day. I get module chair was offended but he was dragging it on for longer than necessary imo didn’t need to be addressed in this manner.

Personally I’m not disabled nor do I claim benefits so doesn’t offend me, but the chat is weird. I wouldn’t expect this sort of thing from colleagues for example. It reads like daily mail or Facebook comments.

It will probably calm down -it’s early days - butt in With some maths or uni query.

It’s v inappropriate but could just be a one off spat.

I think it’s the opposite to be honest, chat created 2 years ago and has people who have known each other a while in. I assume the staff members have shared it with different cohorts.

I had a look at anonymous reports but I don’t think it’s possible, the anonymous form doesn’t ask for any details eg you just click drop down options for a very high level set of information such as what area of the business as opposed to who is involved.

This.

Ignore the anti-woke brigade, it's a basic ethical issue and I would report it to the university. I'd complain officially not anonymously.

To be honest, I think some individuals here have the wrong idea of what the chat is discussing.

I wouldn’t consider myself “woke”. I’m a civil servant so used to being very bland in comms with others and not bringing my employer into disrepute - I’d get in trouble if I was writing these comments at work to colleagues let alone in comms with service users. But yes happy to admit that I’m not the target demographic of these comments and can easily ignore - I’m not disabled after all and I am economically active so it’s not directed at me or caused offence. I’m more just taken aback by how unprofessional it all is.

Jesus, get a life

This is genuinely hilarious 😂 comparing someone to hitler because they don’t think it’s super professional to insult someone’s mum in a public forum 😂

Seeing what is being discussed in the chat, it seems really ill judged of the module lead to be airing their personal grievances in a chat group intended for study. If you leave it, you miss out on any help that may be available in it - but staying leaves you subject to their rants and what sounds like conversations a lot of us would have no time for. This isn’t really a freedom of speech issue. It’s more an issue of freedom from tedious irrelevant crap when what you want to do is learn math, not debate the state of society. I’m not even sure how to report / where to report this kind of thing, but I join you in your shock at the lack of professionalism!

That’s ok as long as you’re not disabled 🙄

I generally don’t have time for people who choose to be offended because they can but for me this chat crosses the line, particularly with a tutor joining in. The personal insults would go over my head but there seems to be more than one “ism” involved.

just because it’s a private chat doesn’t mean it’s acceptable and I can’t imagine the educational establishment would be entirely happy with the reputational damage

Wow!

Lock up your granny, the anti-woke brigade have arrived to save us all.

To be clear, I said I’m not offended because people were suggesting I’m being overly sensitive and acting like Hitler (?) - not because I think the comments are okay. I clearly don’t think it’s okay given I posted the thread.

I still don’t really understand why you see it as your role to police this. Just because your colleagues would get in trouble in the civil service is a bit irrelevant because it isn’t the civil service and you don’t work for the university. If that chat included anything criminal or you were personally distressed by it then I could see why you would report it. Otherwise just leave the chat or stay and be entertained by it. They are all adults.