I was given the unique opportunity to sit down with the self-proclaimed ‘dirty uncles of campus,’ and chat to them about their digital brainchild, campusconfessionstcd. Upon entering the 4pm Zoom meeting, I was promptly informed that the Campus Confessions crew had been sitting around all morning, drinking in preparation for the prestigious event. The team’s morning escapades certainly loosened their lips, and they had a lot to say about what it’s like to help us all express our deepest desires…
What inspired you to create the page?
Basically, we were very bored one day, and saw that Trinder was doing very well. We also saw that Trinder was very first and second year heavy and thought to ourselves that fourth years needed representation and help airing out their sexual frustration.
Don’t get us wrong, we love Trinder. Trinder is the OG. But, they also have significant waiting times between sending in a confession and it being posted. We try and get them out on the day.
How much time does running the page take up in a typical day?
Far more than you think. Like, I reckon a couple of hours a day.
Do you think that you’ll be able to keep the page’s rate of posting up over the whole term, especially when exams draw near?
When exams come round, it might get quieter. Just like a lot of societies see, student engagement can and does drop when people get busy with college work. Rest assured though, if people keep sending in their dirty laundry, we’ll keep putting it out there.
What do you think are the main differences between Campus Confessions and Trinder?
We are Trinder’s dirty uncle in the purest form of the meaning. Whilst we really do care about students’ well-being, we don’t aim to be overly polite about everything.
Do you hope that the page is mostly used by people who live on campus, or are you happy when others send in confessions?
We don’t mind. We reckon that a lot of the following are people who do live on campus, but we think that we also even get first years posting.
What are your favourite ‘types’ of confession to receive?
Honestly? The dirtier the better.
We’ve had a couple of confessions we couldn’t post because they included full names and a LOT of intimate detail, but mostly we want play into our role as entertainers. Campus Confessions is something we want to really have fun with, and so we love it when confessions make us laugh.
Are there some confessions which you refuse to post? Do you have any rules about post content?
We won’t post anything slanderous. For example, we won’t post anything with full names and accusations, we won’t post anything that’s negative.
We also won’t post confessions if they’re really boring. Sorry, but just no.
How do you come up with the captions attached to each confession?
After forty years of being in the pub, we’ve learned a thing about a comeback or two. We’re sassy and proud of it.
Also, sometimes we get submissions which aren’t exactly ‘on-brand,’ and so we need the captions to make the submission work for us.
Do you think that you’ve ever received a confession about yourself? How did it make you feel?
We like to think that they’re all about us.
Do you think that you’ve ever received a confession about one of your close friends? Did you tell them?
No. We try and keep everything anonymous.
Do your close friends know that you run the page?
No – no one knows who runs the page.
Do you think that you will ever reveal who you are to the student body at large?
No. There’ll come a time when we’ll just quietly pass it on to someone.
Have you ever sent in your own confession?
Yes. To Trinder, yes. Not to our page.
Are you able to see who has sent in each confession?
No.
Do you ever wonder who has sent in a confession? What about that particular confession made you wonder who wrote it?
Yes. Sometimes they’re hilarious and we’d want to know who wrote them.
What was the inspiration behind ‘shoot your shot’ day?
The pub was shut.
How did you approach DM-ing other people’s love interests?
We literally just dm-ed them. We didn’t even plan it out in advance. Like with posts, when we get the requests, we send them.
Do you know of any pair who have gotten together/hooked up as a result of your page?
Yes. (Laughs).
Do you hope that each confession leads to something more, or are you happy enough just that each confessor got to speak their mind?
It is for entertainment generally. But, at the same time, if Campus Confessions helps young love happen, it’s a wonderful thing.
I have to ask because everyone’s aware that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. Do you worry that your page might encourage people to meet physically during a time when we are encouraged to stay apart?
We follow the Covid-19 guidelines and would not encourage people to break them. Obviously though, people’s decisions are in their own hands. We can’t help that.
How important do you think that outlets like yours are when we are prevented from all coming together physically?
We think there should be official bodies running something like this. Like, helping students come together and keeping them entertained. And so, we found a real gap in the market if you will. Trinder has been a part of college life for a while. We think there’s a reason why.
Do you think that you would have created the page if it weren’t for Covid-19?
Probably not. We only have this much free time because of Covid. Usually, we’d be down the pub.
Do you have any comments or questions for students and fans of your work?
Covid will be over soon. Let’s keep the people cheery till it is. We’re here for good fun, and there’s no harm in what we do.
We also have a couple of messages for Trinder that it just wouldn’t be the same to send into our group chat:
Firstly, why is your wait time so long? Seriously.
Also, though we mock you, we do have to tell you, our nieces and nephews at Trinder, that we’re so proud of you. Lots of love x
