Guidelines for Interactions and Your Department and/or College on the Internet

If you are developing a web site or writing a blog that will mention the department, college, faculty, staff, students, affiliates, and/or patients, identify yourself as a student and that the views expressed on the web site or blog are yours alone and do not represent the views of the department or college. You are not authorized to speak on behalf of the department and/or college. Students must use a personal email address and not the college email address as your primary means of identification and are strictly prohibited from using college email addresses to register for social media sites.

If you are developing a site or writing a blog that will reference the department or college and/or our faculty, staff, students, affiliates, and/or patients, please let the department chair know that you are writing such. Faculty may wish to visit the site from time-to-time to fully understand your point of view.

For information on using the college logo or trademarks, please visit the office of Strategic Communications and External Affairs.

Confidential Information

You may not share information that is confidential and/or proprietary about the department and/or college. This includes information about faculty, staff, students, affiliates and, of course, patients. If you have any question about whether information is appropriate, or you have doubts of any kind, please speak with the program chair before releasing information that could potentially harm the department and/or college.

Respect and Privacy Rights

Students are advised to use good judgment and take personal and professional responsibility for what they publish online. Students should communicate respectfully about the department, college, faculty, staff, other students, affiliate, and competitive programs. Please note that the use of derogatory statements, or misrepresentation, is not viewed favorably by the department and/or college and may result in disciplinary action. Students are further prohibited from posting false information regarding the department, college, faculty, staff, and other students.

You agree to respect the rights of the department and college faculty, staff, students, and affiliates by seeking their permission before writing about or displaying internal department and/or college events and/or issues that might be considered a breach of confidentiality. At all times, you must follow all laws related to patient privacy.

Your Legal Liability Component

You are legally liable for anything you write or present online. Students can be disciplined by the department and/or college for comments or images that are defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, libelous, or that can create a hostile work environment. You can also be sued by faculty, staff, other students, and affiliates that view your commentary, content, or images as defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, libelous, or that can create a hostile work environment. Students subject to lawsuits for claims related to the foregoing will be solely responsible for all liabilities and defending the same.

Students violating this social media policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the program.