Social Media (Policy OG-28)

Policy:

The Clarkson College community is dedicated to ethical and compassionate care of others. Social media, as an extension of our community, requires Clarkson College employees and students to be mindful of proper use both as a method of conducting business and 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, 2017). Employees and students are ultimately responsible for what they post online, and 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 employee, 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 and Sexual Misconduct, SW-25 Academic Integrity, SW-18 Code of Conduct, SW-15 Drug and Alcohol, SW-27 Sexual Misconduct, and IT-2 Resources Acceptable Use and Privacy. These policies are located on the Clarkson College Employee Intranet-Policies and Procedures page. The Division of Communications and Development at Clarkson College will be responsible for social media content from Clarkson College.

The following items must be met when using social media:

Protect institutional confidentiality and information, along with 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 Clarkson College, its students, employees, alumni, or clients/patients.

Do not use Clarkson College logos or trademarks without permission.

Respect Clarkson College's time and property. Clarkson College computers, classroom and office time, and other resources are reserved for Clarkson 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 to fellow students, employees, or people who work on behalf of Clarkson College. Student or employee 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, 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 Clarkson College information, use the Clarkson 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 Clarkson College policies and procedures are followed.

Authorizing Clarkson College Accounts for the Purpose of Conducting Official College Business:

To ensure that Clarkson College's social media efforts adhere to the brand and policy standards of Clarkson College and that those efforts are not tied specifically to a Clarkson College community member’s personal account, all official social media accounts must be presented to the Division of Communications and Development for strategic review, approval, and account creation.

All requests to create an official Clarkson College social media channel must be presented to the Division of Communications and Development for a strategic review. All social media sites, both new and existing, must follow outlined branding and best-practice guidelines.

The Division of Communications and Development will grant the appropriate person(s) administrative access to approved accounts. Each social media site should have no less than two (2) full-time staff members serving as account administrators. To request an account, email Communications and Development at [email protected].

The Division of Communications and Development is responsible for the following:

Maintain an active dialogue between the department and all official social media account administrators of the subsidiary's internal organization(s).

Ensuring all of Clarkson College’s best-practice resources and guidelines are communicated and adhered to on social media platforms.

Cataloging and retaining an official account inventory and contact information for corresponding administrators.

Removing account administrators who have left Clarkson College and no longer require access to social media accounts.

The Division of Communications and Development reserves all rights to review and remove inappropriate content. Regular review is expected; failure to do so does not justify noncompliance.

The Division of Communications and Development reserves the right to disable or temporarily unpublish Clarkson College's social media accounts that are dormant (no posts, no activity) for more than six (6) months, as such stagnancy reflects poorly on Clarkson College.

Social media account administrators are responsible for the following:

Creating, maintaining, and monitoring content on respective social media sites and engaging with users.

Ensuring that all content is relevant to the goals and objectives of the pertinent organization and upholds the Clarkson College standards and brand.

Delivering timely customer service and response to inquiries and postings on official accounts. All replies should use professional, conversational language that encourages comments and engages in follow-up conversations.

Moderating content that violates hosting terms of services or Clarkson College policies.

Informing the Division of Communications and Development when social media account administrators have left Clarkson College and no longer require access to social media accounts.

Official social media accounts are prohibited from the following:

Commenting on or posting anything related to legal matters or litigation without appropriate approval.

Commenting on any posts of known media reporters or representatives. All inquiries and comments must be sent directly to the Communications and Development Division.

Using the Clarkson College brand or name to endorse any view, product, private business, cause, or political candidate.

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 program-specific 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 systems, and networking systems. Clarkson College reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to monitor, prohibit, block, suspend, remove, or delete content from Clarkson College's social media platforms that are considered inappropriate for any reason. Retaliation is prohibited. Clarkson College prohibits taking negative action against any person for reporting a possible deviation from this policy or cooperating in an investigation. Any employee/student or Clarkson College community member who retaliates against another employee/student or Clarkson 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 Clarkson College dismissal or termination (HR-2 Termination).

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