V1901.06 Social Media Policy

Definitions:

"Social Media Sites" refer to web sites designed to allow and encourage social interaction. Common examples include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
"Affiliated" sites are social media sites which publicly represent the University or a specific group or functional unit within the University.
"Academic" sites are social media applications developed by faculty members for academic purposes (such as individual classes).
"Non-Affiliated" sites are all sites that are neither affiliated nor academic.

Authorized Social Media:

In order to ensure that VCSU's presence on Social Media sites is kept manageable, the University limits the specific services available to include those identified on a list in the office of the Director of Marketing and Communications. If faculty, staff, or students wish to employ other social media services, they must request approval from the staff responsible for enforcing this policy (see below).

Affiliated Sites:

Affiliated sites are the intellectual property of the University, are subject to this policy, and must meet the requirements and definitions of this policy.
Administrators of affiliated sites must be employees of the University. Subject to the approval of the employee's supervisor, administration of affiliated sites may be considered to be within the job responsibilities of University employees. As such, University employees may:
1. Perform administrative tasks or assign them to subordinate employees during work hours, or assign them to third parties,
2. Use VCSU property such as computers and network resources to perform administrative tasks,
3. Include in the site copyrighted VCSU property such as logos, photography, or other graphic elements (as approved by the Director of Marketing), or request resources to help promote the site,
4. Use the affiliated site to communicate with internal or external audiences as consistent with the employee's job responsibilities,
5. Perform other tasks and access other resources consistent with the employee's job responsibilities.
Requirements: Administrators of Affiliated sites must:
1. Be authorized by the senior executive responsible for the specific group or functional unit within the University,
2. Provide the following to the staff responsible for enforcing this policy (see below):
  1. The full URL of the site,
  2. The specific group or functional unit within VCSU the site represents,
  3. Full “Administrator” privileges for managing the site (including managing content and terminating the site) such as administrator login IDs and passwords,
  4. A list of the “Administrator(s)” of the site--individual(s) who have agreed to assume responsibility for ensuring that their site conforms to this policy.
3. Honor the Terms of Service for the social media platform employed. In keeping with SBHE Policy 840 Contract Review, contracts "shall be reviewed by the SBHE's or institution's legal counsel or other qualified person delegated that responsibility by the institution's president under institution procedures."
4. Maintain the content of the site in ways that:
  1. Keep the site current and a positive reflection of the University.,
  2. Are consistent with and subject to:
    1. the employee’s job responsibilities,
    2. the description of purpose in the request for Social Media Affiliation form,
    3. the VCSU graphic standards and brand,
    4. Copyright, fair use, and intellectual property rights of others and of the University.
  3. Do not represent personal views as official positions of the University,
  4. Observe applicable federal, state, and University confidentiality and proprietary information requirements (such as FERPA and HIPA).

Academic Sites:

Administration: The vice president of Academic Affairs and the appropriate division and department chair has the authority to monitor and administer all social media sites within their area of responsibility.

"Non-Affiliated sites" are outside the scope of this policy. However, Non-Affiliated sites are not entitled to any of the privileges of either Affiliated or Academic sites. The University will take any steps it deems appropriate to protect its interests anywhere it is mentioned or represented.

Student groups may submit their social media sites to be considered for affiliated status, but are not required to do so. To receive affiliated status, the student group's site must meet all of the conditions identified in this policy. Student Group sites not submitted for Affiliated status will be considered Non-Affiliated.

Behavior of all VCSU students and employees on any social media site must be consistent with VCSU's Mission, Vision, and Values, and will be subject to all other VCSU policies, in particular, Section V603.01.01 Prohibited Discrimination. The University will not tolerate any form of abuse, profanity, or breach of privacy.

This policy will be enforced by the Director for Marketing and Communications and the Technology Services staff responsible for managing University web site resources. Please contact Marketing and Communications for requests to set up affiliated social media accounts.

Sponsored by: Director for Marketing and Communications

Effective: January 2012