Mid Michigan College’s network/data systems may be used for social networking to facilitate assigned work for Mid, and for other educational, training, or research purposes. Mid’s network/data systems may NOT be used to engage in social networking for any commercial or significant personal use, post information that is confidential and proprietary to Mid, post material that is threatening, harassing, illegal, obscene, defamatory, slanderous, or hostile towards any individual or entity. Mid Michigan College’s network/data systems may not be used to promote or advertise a commercial product or solicit business, membership, or financial support of any business, group, or organization for personal gain.
FACULTY AND STAFF GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONALISM IN THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
The rapid advent of social media has created an avenue for education professionals to communicate and share information with potentially millions of people quickly and easily. Social networking can enable faculty and staff to have a professional presence online and foster relationships with colleagues. Social networks and other forms of online communication have also created new challenges to the student-faculty student-college staff relationships. Faculty and staff should be aware that regardless of privacy settings, social media is a highly public forum that can be accessed by students, co-workers, and the community. Faculty and staff should consider a number of considerations when engaging in social media, blogs, and other types of online communication:
- Faculty and staff should be aware of student privacy and confidentiality standards, such as FERPA, that must be maintained in all environments.
- When using the internet for social networking, faculty and staff should use privacy settings to safeguard personal information and content to the extent possible, but remain cognizant that privacy settings are not a guarantee of privacy and once information is posted on the internet it is likely there permanently. It is recommended that faculty and staff routinely monitor their own internet presence, and to the extent possible, content posted about them by others is accurate and appropriate.
- If faculty and staff interact with students on the internet, faculty and staff must maintain appropriate boundaries of the student-faculty or student-college staff relationship in accordance with professional ethical guidelines, just as they would in any other context.
- When faculty and staff see content posted by colleagues that appears unprofessional they have a responsibility to bring that content to the attention of the individual, so that they can remove it and/or take appropriate actions. If the behavior significantly violates professional norms and the individual does not take appropriate action to resolve the situation, the faculty or staff should report the matter to the appropriate authorities.
- Faculty and staff must recognize that actions online and content posted may negatively affect their reputations among students, colleagues and the community. These actions may also have consequences for their professional career and can undermine public trust in the college.
Nothing in this regulation shall be construed to supersede institutional autonomy or academic freedom.
[Last Reviewed May 31, 2024]