As winflop pointed out, the admissions office gave students an opportunity to explain their actions. The admissions office also asked for a full list of a person's posts, which gave an opportunity to place a single joke in a larger context.
But I think the key fact is that this was a subgroup created from the official, university-sponsored Harvard Class of 2021 (admits) Facebook group. It's one thing to talk in a dorm room, or even in a private group of your friends. It's another thing to use the university-sponsored official admit group to advertise a private group, and require people to post something offensive to the broader group to get in.
I certainly wouldn't want admits creating and advertising a group like that on an official Stanford admits page, and I could see how it could reflect negatively on the university, create the impression of a lower standard of conduct for incoming students, and even dissuade students from matriculating.
And once again as for many of these off-topic items, I'm glad this particular mess is some other school's problem.
But I think the key fact is that this was a subgroup created from the official, university-sponsored Harvard Class of 2021 (admits) Facebook group. It's one thing to talk in a dorm room, or even in a private group of your friends. It's another thing to use the university-sponsored official admit group to advertise a private group, and require people to post something offensive to the broader group to get in.
I certainly wouldn't want admits creating and advertising a group like that on an official Stanford admits page, and I could see how it could reflect negatively on the university, create the impression of a lower standard of conduct for incoming students, and even dissuade students from matriculating.
And once again as for many of these off-topic items, I'm glad this particular mess is some other school's problem.