Texas Tech ranks as one of the 14 “top schools” in the description of Yeti – Campus Stories in the Apple App Store.
The app, also available on Google Play, is an open and anonymous forum, which “features local pictures and videos by showing the most recent posts from users around you.”
Screenshot from Yeti – Campus Stories
Posts, called yeets, are regulated by “Campus Yetis,” who choose which posts to feature based on Yeti rules. A yeet has to be approved by multiple Campus Yetis before being posted.
Alicia Keene, the graduate executive director of The Hub@TTU, was asked to become a Campus Yeti. She took screenshots of the requirements, which do not include any mentions of liability.
The first rule is that “if someone can’t put a face to their message, they shouldn’t be posting it.”
Next comes a discouragement of nudity: “please – no D’s and no V’s.” On a typical day, however, Tech’s current Campus Yetis do not seem to apply this rule to breasts.
Screenshot from Yeti – Campus Stories
The last rule is to “reject posts that solicit nudes,” which is not always followed either. On Veteran’s Day, a yeet with this caption appeared: “This Veteran turned cop ain’t too proud to beg for some patriotic boobies on this Veterans Day!”
The app store warns that Yeti content may feature violence, crude humor, alcohol, drug use and mature themes.
Nick Vega, a freshman accounting and international finance major from Dallas, is a campus representative for Yeti. He is asked to promote and spread awareness about the app. In return, he is compensated with merchandise.
Vega said he likes the app because users are able to share, promote events and have conversations, but he has seen people share too much.
Most users posts are quite innocent, asking for recommendations of businesses, saying good morning or posting pictures of pets. However, some posts reference illegal activities or depict nudity.
Screenshot from Yeti – Campus Stories
There are police officers who use and monitor the app, Vega said, but they do not punish all illegal activity. Some people use the app to try to purchase prescription drugs such as Adderall.
“I think whoever does that is stupid because you can be given the number of a cop,” Vega said. “I don’t know why someone would risk that.”
Jorge Hinojosa, a Tech graduate, started using the app after he saw a promotion for it through Snapchat. He is a Campus Yeti and enjoys seeing pictures that include pretty girls and partying.
“It shows you the fun part of Tech that they wouldn’t want you to know about,” Hinojosa said.
He works at a pizza shop near campus and when a Tech sorority picked up $378 worth of pizza without leaving a tip, he turned to Yeti to have the anonymous community “feel his pain.” The yeet received more than 2000 likes.
Posts of users smoking marijuana and using drugs are submitted often, but when Vega was a Campus Yeti, he would not approve the posts.
“I’ve seen people send in stuff with their face and lines of coke or them smoking,” Vega said. “I’m doing you a favor of denying this.”
Screenshot from Yeti – Campus Stories
Another problem he has seen on Yeti is yeets of conspicuously taken pictures without the person in the picture’s knowledge or consent. Worse yet, those pictures tend to get a high number of “likes.”
“It’s just kind of creepy,” Vega said.
One senior marketing major, who asked not to be named, was at work when she heard that a picture of her, taken from behind, was posted on the app. She said she was grossed out knowing anyone on campus could see the picture without her consent.
“Even though you couldn’t see my face, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling,” she said. “I would tell them to show women a little more respect than that.”
Screenshot from Yeti – Campus Stories
It especially upset her because she was at her workplace and not asking for any special attention, she said.
Vega said the frequent nudity in content on the app can cause awkward situations.
“This nude picture popped up and this girl next to me looked at me with such a judgmental look,” Vega said. “I was like, ‘This is just an app!'”
Some users try to find someone to hook up with through the app, but Vega said this is not a good idea because anyone can see it, not just students.
Hinojosa said he dislikes how negative people can be on Yeti. He said people should be respectful of others’ posts, and although some people do use the app to “get some action,” that should not be the primary use.
Although he knows the negatives, Vega still enjoys using the app. Recently, he used it to promote a Freshman Council tailgate for the Student Government Association and was told it was one of the most successful freshman tailgates Tech has ever seen.
About Maddy McCarty
