The Clarkson College community is dedicated to the pursuit of ethical and compassionate care of others. Social media, as an extension of our community, requires Clarkson College faculty, staff members and students to be mindful of proper use both as a method to conduct business and for use in a personal capacity.

Procedure:

Using Social Media

Social media is defined as “websites or applications that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking” (University of Michigan). Faculty, staff members, and students are ultimately responsible for what they post online, and the content should always be professional. The guidelines below must be followed when posting on behalf of Clarkson College and as an individual Clarkson College community member. When using social media in a personal capacity, users must take reasonable precautions to indicate s/he is engaging in the activity as a private person and not as a Clarkson College faculty, staff member, student, and/or spokesperson. Additional guidelines that should be followed for any content posted, including but are not limited to OG-21: Business Ethics, HR-14: Harassment, SW-25: Academic Integrity, SW-18: Code of Conduct, SW-15 Drug and Alcohol, SW-27 Sexual Misconduct and IT-2: Resources Use and Privacy. The Strategic Communications Department for the College will be responsible for social media content from the College.

The following items must be met when using social media:

• Protect institutional confidentiality, information, and federal requirements, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Confidential information should not be posted about the College, its students, faculty, staff members, alumni or clients/patients.
• Do not use College logos or trademarks without permission.
• Respect the time and property of Clarkson College. College computers and classroom and office time are reserved for College-related business as approved by the appropriate supervisor.
• Comply with the Terms of Service of any social media platform.
• Do not post content that violates city, state or federal laws and regulations.

Additional Guidelines to Consider:

• Know and follow all Clarkson College policies and procedures.
• Be respectful. Always be fair and courteous of fellow students, employees, or people who work on behalf of the College. Student, faculty, or staff member complaints are better resolved by speaking directly to the person involved or through the proper chain of command. However, if complaints or criticisms are posted, avoid using statements, photographs, video, audio, etc., that could be viewed as malicious, obscene, threatening or intimidating, abusive, discriminatory, or constitute harassment or bullying. Positive posts should also be respectful and protect the confidentiality of all parties.
• Be aware of liability and protect users/ personal identity. Users are responsible for their individual posts. When sharing College information, use the College links directly. Personal opinions should not be presented as the views of Clarkson College. Be cautious, as information that would not be said in a face-to-face conversation or other mediums should not be posted on social media; this includes personal information.
• Be honest and accurate. Think before publishing a post to ensure all facts are clear and all College policies and procedures are followed.

Procedure for Social Media Misuse:

Direct supervisors will be notified of incidents related to employees, and the appropriate academic program director(s) will be notified in situations that involve students. When reporting an alleged incident, rationale and evidence must be provided to the supervisor and/or appropriate academic program director.

Disciplinary action for violating the policy shall be governed by but may not be limited to the applicable provisions of the Academic Catalog and Student Handbook, faculty and department/program handbooks, policies and procedures of Clarkson College, Statutes of the State of Nebraska, and federal law, including civil and criminal legal actions. Persons who violate this policy may be subject to further disciplinary action or may have their access privileges revoked on Clarkson College computing systems, learning management system, and networking systems. The College reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to monitor, prohibit, block, suspend, remove, or delete content from Clarkson College social media platforms that are considered inappropriate for any reason. Retaliation is prohibited. The College prohibits taking negative action against any person for reporting a possible deviation from this policy or cooperating in an investigation. Any faculty/staff member/student or College community member who retaliates against another faculty/staff member/student or College community member for reporting a possible deviation from this policy or cooperating in an investigation will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including College dismissal or termination.

Social Media Guidelines:

https://www.clarksoncollege.edu/about/social-media-guidelines/