Media and Social Media Policy (Policy 49)

Purpose

Mass media, and social media, relations play an essential role in conveying the public face of Governors State University (“GovState” or “University”). The purpose of this Policy is to ensure the dissemination of only accurate and coordinated official communications intended to represent the University. 

GovState recognizes that social media is a vital communication method for the GovState community. This Policy addresses the institutional use of social media for all official GovState social media accounts and also addresses privacy and security for community members such as students, faculty, staff, and alumni. This Policy also addresses the role of the Office of Marketing and Communications (“MarComm”) to coordinate University best practices on social media and to enforce GovState brand standards across all social media platforms. 

Interactions with mass media and the use of social media by members of the GovState community extend well beyond branding and official communications; these can be used for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, social networking, dissemination of research findings, and commentary on public events. GovState respects the academic freedom of its community members. This Policy is not intended to place restrictions on the use of social media, nor on interactions with mass media, for activities unrelated to branding or official communications on behalf of GovState.

1. Content: information that is posted using the capabilities of a social media platform. This includes but is not limited to: links, captions, photos, videos, music, .GIF files, and documents, such as .PDF files. 
2. GovState account: any account on a social media platform (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) that is controlled or purported to be controlled or registered by or on behalf of GovState as an institution. 
3. GovState community: the students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni of the University. 
4. GovState units: Organizational units of the University including colleges, divisions/departments, university-level offices, athletic teams, and University affiliated entities. 
5. Posting: the action of making information publicly available online to any/all platforms on behalf of GovState. 
6. Social media/platforms: non-GovState websites and applications that enable users to create and share photos, videos, or other content or to participate in social networking. This includes, but is not limited to: Facebook; Instagram; Twitter; YouTube; LinkedIn; TikTok; Pinterest; Snapchat; blog or microblog sites; rating and review websites; wiki or similar collaborative content websites; message boards, bulletin boards, or similar forums; and any emerging social media platforms that are hereafter created and/or gain popularity.

Scope of Policy

This Policy applies to any social media account used to officially represent, or otherwise communicate on behalf of, GovState as an institution. This Policy also applies to official social media accounts of GovState units whose primary purpose is to post information to the public regarding events, activities, programs, and/or other unit-related communications. For illustrative purposes, the following are examples of social media accounts that would be covered by this Policy:

1. The official Governors State University (GovState) Facebook account 
2. A twitter account that represents the GovState library 
3. A LinkedIn account representing the Human Resources Department 

This Policy does not apply to personal use of social media by individual GovState community members, nor does it apply to social media used by individuals in their capacity as GovState members (e.g., the use of social media for a course, for conducting research, etc.). Members of the GovState community may mention their affiliation with GovState on their personal, professional, and/or group social media accounts, but it must be clear that content posted by the account represents the individual and does not represent nor is endorsed by GSU. If an individual or group not normally covered by this Policy wishes to use the GSU logo or other GSU brand elements on a social media platform, they must use the official logo/brand material available on the MarComm website or otherwise approved by MarComm. 

This Policy does not apply to social media accounts representing union or union-related groups, such as the UPI chapter of GovState, nor does it apply to accounts used primarily for posting private content restricted to group members that cannot be viewed by the general public. For illustrative purposes, the following are examples of social media accounts that would not be covered by this Policy:

1. A LinkedIn account created by a faculty member to recruit participants for a research study 
2. A “mock” social media account created by a student solely for use within an academic course 
3. An official Facebook account of a GovState union chapter 
4. A private Facebook account or group created for the purpose of interactions among members of that particular group (e.g., a special interest group for staff; a faculty support group; a student club, etc.) in which the majority of content is posted privately (i.e., accessible only to group members)

Members of the GovState community using or interacting with any social media accounts or pages connected to GovState are expected to comply with GovState community standards. Allegations of violations of community standards shall be covered by the appropriate University policy (for example, Policy 52 for allegations of discrimination or harassment; Policy 78 for Title IX/sexual harassment concerns; Policy 4 for student misconduct; etc.).

Policy to Ensure Dissemination of Accurate and Coordinated Official Communications

The GovState Office of Marketing & Communications (“MarComm”) staff and the University President are the "official spokespeople" for GovState. All official communications intended to represent the University must be disseminated by MarComm. In order to ensure that accurate, factual information is presented, MarComm coordinates all official press releases and news stories initiated by GovState. 

Both units of GovState and individual members of the GovState community retain the right to communicate to the media or public without interference as to the content of such speech, but may not claim to officially speak on behalf of the University. 

Information for official communications is collected by MarComm from a variety of sources within GovState, including members of the GSU community. The GSU community is encouraged to offer MarComm staff story ideas, news, upcoming programs, events, research, projects, course information, etc. Whenever possible, dated materials should be submitted at least one month in advance to MarComm. Faculty may be called upon by MarComm both for information about their own projects or as experts in their fields for media interviews and publications.

1. Reasonable Access to GovState Social Media Accounts

   All GovState accounts, regardless of the social media platform utilized, must be approved by MarComm. All existing social media accounts controlled or purported to be controlled or registered by or on behalf of GovState as an institution must grant administrative access to MarComm for privacy and security reasons. Anyone wishing to establish a new GovState account can fill out an electronic request form and approval is contingent on the social media coordinator. This is only for GovState accounts created for the express purpose of officially representing GovState as a university. 

   GovState accounts operating without receiving approval or accounts rejecting this Policy are considered rogue. MarComm has the right to seek termination of these accounts to reduce security risks. In the event of a dispute regarding the categorization of a social media account as a GovState account, the Office of the General Counsel of GovState or designee shall make a final determination in accordance with the definitions and guidelines set forth in this Policy.

   All managers of GovState accounts must attend frequent trainings by MarComm to stay up to date on best practices for social media management. 

   Official GovState accounts are located in the social media directory maintained by MarComm. All GSU accounts must be managed officially and must include, when relevant: professional/branded profile pictures, cover photos, and hashtags. Content that is posted must be accessible and utilize the GovState brand voice. MarComm has the right to enforce these standards on all content posted on GovState accounts. 

   Official GovState account pages are to represent the best of Governors State University. If official GSU account pages fail to meet brand standards (for example: being inactive for an extended period of time, having extremely low traffic, or posting inaccessible/off brand content), then MarComm has exclusive rights to correct this content or shut down inactive GovState accounts. 

   University social media managers have the right to remove public comments on GovState account pages only if the content violates platform guidelines, is hateful, spam, or is otherwise inappropriate in nature. Users have the right to respectfully participate in discourse about the University on a public website.

2. Management of Social Media Accounts of GovState Units

   Social media accounts created and/or used for the purpose of representing a unit of GovState do not represent the University as a whole, but do reflect on the University. It is important for such accounts to follow best practices that reflect professionalism, respect, and good judgment. Account managers are ultimately responsible for the content posted to a unit account and ensuring adherence to this Policy. 

   In order to ensure security and compliance across GovState unit accounts and to support coordination between unit accounts and MarComm, all GovState unit accounts must be formally registered with MarComm by sharing, at a minimum, the name and platform of the account, the webpage or link to the account (where applicable), and the names and contact information of the account managers. Unit accounts are not required to obtain advanced approval of individual posts or content by MarComm. 

   Account managers of GovState unit social media accounts are expected to participate in periodic training on social media management provided by MarComm and to maintain compliance with GovState standards and policies. In the event that an account manager is notified by MarComm or another GovState office or entity that content on the social media account is out of compliance, the account manager must bring the content into compliance within 24 hours of receiving the notice, or to otherwise send notification within 24 hours to MarComm or other appropriate entity detailing the plan and timeline to bring the account into compliance. MarComm may require account managers of unit accounts that have been found to be out of compliance to participate in appropriate social media management and compliance training. Creators of unit accounts must grant administrative access to the accounts to a direct supervisor or other appropriate university employee (e.g., college dean, division/department chair) and/or with MarComm. In the event that an account manager leaves the university or wishes to no longer manage the account, it is the unit’s responsibility to remove that individual’s access to the account and designate a second employee and/or MarComm as an account manager, thus ensuring that at least two employees have independent administrative access to the account at all times.

3. Protection of the GovState Community While Providing Outlets for Proper Use of the GovState Brand

   To protect our GovState community, which includes but is not limited to, current students, faculty, staff, and alumni, MarComm has guidelines for posting sensitive information on University topics or unapproved projects. This includes allowing for the President of the University or MarComm to announce major projects to the media/community first. Those who publicly post on a GovState account as a GovState community member must use discretion and respectfully represent the University.

4. Acknowledgement

   The University acknowledges and credits documents from the following in the revision of this Policy: Cornell University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

5. RESPONSIBLE PARTIES Responsibility for ensuring compliance with this Policy is generally designated to: 
   1. the Office of Marketing and Communications (“MarComm”) for GovState social media accounts and official communications with mass media on behalf of GovState, 
   2. the Office of the Provost for GovState academic unit accounts, and 
   3. the Vice President of Administration and Finance for all other unit accounts.