/Institutions/Hebrew-Union-College-Jewish-Institute-of-Religion/json/current/Student-Handbook-local.json

/Institutions/Hebrew-Union-College-Jewish-Institute-of-Religion/json/current/Student-Handbook.json

Social Media Policy

It is Hebrew Union College’s (“HUC” or the “College”) policy to recognize the value that social media can have and to encourage users to embrace social media responsibly as an engaging and impactful communications tool. HUC acknowledges that social media may be used to further the College’s mission and strategic goals by providing interaction between students, alumni, employees, Board members, supporters, prospective students and supporters, and the larger community, among others.

Purpose of Policy

The purpose of these policy guidelines is to have a set of standards for social media that can be applied across all areas of the College. This policy is designed to:

1. Advise on appropriate content for HUC’s official social media accounts;
2. Help HUC employees make appropriate decisions when developing and/or managing social media accounts or initiatives on behalf of the College; and
3. Guide College social media users who indicate an HUC affiliation on their personal social media profiles, on how to balance their affiliation with personal conversation.

Applicability

This policy applies to the employees of HUC. This policy refers to social media only. For guidance about email, verbal, or other standard communications not defined as social media, please refer to the Code of Ethics Policy in the Employee Handbook, Faculty Handbook, and Student Handbook.

Definitions

Social media - refers to websites and applications that enable users to create and share written, audio, image, and/or video content and virtually connect with other users. Examples of social media include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Vimeo, YouTube, Clubhouse, personal blogs, and other similar websites and applications.

User - refers to employees of HUC who engage with social media channels.

Procedures and Implementation

Official Social Media Channels: Management and Content Sharing

This section of the Social Media Policy provides information about the College’s use of social media.

Accounts: The College’s official social media channels include:

• facebook.com/hucjir,
• twitter.com/hucjir,
• instagram.com/hucjir,
• linkedin.com/school/hebrew-union-college, and
• vimeo.com/hucjir.

These channels may expand or change. Contact the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs at news@huc.edu for the most updated list.

Management: The National Office of Communications and Public Affairs maintains the strategic direction and development of HUC’s official social media accounts and utilizes best practices in social media to promote the College’s mission and strategic goals.

Content Sharing: Social media is most effective when it is rooted in collaboration. The National Office of Communications and Public Affairs invites faculty, students, staff, Board members, and alumni to share their news with us at news@huc.edu. By submitting their content to the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs, they authorize the College to share it for marketing purposes, including but not limited to, posting on the College’s social media accounts, in the format and manner determined by the College in its sole discretion.

Approved content may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Information from or about HUC students, faculty, administration, Board members, or alumni and their unique experiences, studies, work, research, accomplishments, etc.;
• Information from or about HUC schools, programs, campuses, departments, research centers, libraries, museums, archives, projects, etc.;
• Information about applying to HUC, supporting HUC, or other calls to action in support of our mission and strategic plan;
• Statements from the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs, President’s Office, Board of Governors, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), or Provost;
• HUC-sponsored events or events at which our students, faculty, administration, Board members, or alumni are speaking or actively taking part;
• HUC’s celebration of Jewish, Israeli, and American holidays; and
• Other material as determined by the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

Prohibited content on HUC official channels typically includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Information that goes against the mission or strategic plan of the College;
• Confidential or proprietary information about HUC or our students, alumni, Board members, faculty, or staff;
• Job announcements from our alumni, with the exception of a standardized announcement of placement of the graduation/ordination class at the end of the academic year;
• Information that is not related to HUC;
• Politically driven endorsements or oppositions of any person or campaign;
• Discriminatory, harassing, threatening, or obscene language;
• Posts in breach of the Terms of Service of the host website; and
• Other material as determined by the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

If uncertain about the appropriateness of content for HUC’s official social media channels, please contact the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs at news@huc.edu. HUC reserves the right to remove content at any time for any reason.

Production Schedule: The College’s social media calendar is planned in advance to allow for 1) the proper preparation of content, and 2) intentional placement of content across platforms at strategic times for optimal engagement. To assist the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs with honoring promotion requests to the extent practicable, information should be shared with advanced notice, even if all information required for the post is not yet available, to news@huc.edu.

Please note the following deadlines for requests (reflected in business days). Advanced notice beyond these requirements is always appreciated and encouraged. The College will strive to follow the timeline below, but no request can be guaranteed.

• Graphics: If a new graphic is needed, the request must be made at least one week in advance.
• Videos: If an edited video needs to be uploaded, please provide material in highest resolution at least two days in advance. If minimal editing is needed (such as trimming a video or adding a cover slide), please provide material in highest resolution at least four days in advance. If advanced editing is needed, please contact us to determine an appropriate production schedule.
• HUC Press Releases: If a press release needs to be written, please contact us at least one week in advance. Include all relevant material, including links, images, and whom to contact for additional information.
• Press / Media: Please allow one day to post an appropriate news article. If unexpected (such as a death notice), please be in touch immediately and we will try to post the same day.
• Events: The Marketing Team aims to share events with HUC-JIR followers a minimum of three days in advance and therefore requests five days’ notice.

Departmental Use of Social Media on Behalf of HUC

This section of the Social Media Policy provides guidelines for a College user’s authorized use of social media for business purposes.

Authorization Required: Only certain individuals authorized by the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs may post to social media on the College’s behalf. All other users should follow the guidelines below for personal use of social media.

Creating New Social Media Accounts: The creation or development of public social media accounts or other marketing or communications initiatives bearing HUC’s name or logo, or the name or logo of a School, Program, or Department of the College, require prior approval from the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

Use of Logo and Branding: Upon approval from the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs to create a public departmental social media account, the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs will provide HUC’s logo, branding, colors, and fonts. No user is permitted to use HUC’s logo or branding without the prior approval of the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

Maintain Confidentiality and Privacy: Do not post confidential or proprietary information about HUC, our students, faculty, alumni, Board members, or fellow employees. All employees and agents of HUC are subject to FERPA, HIPAA, and other laws governing the privacy of personal information. If you are unsure if information is confidential, proprietary, or private, consult the person whose information is involved or the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs, as appropriate.

Use Good Judgment: Be thoughtful and discerning when engaging on social media. Remember that as an employee of HUC, you are representing HUC in the public eye. All of your posts, comments, and engagements on social media are a reflection on the College and have the ability to affect the College’s reputation. Please bear in mind that posts can reach anyone, may be misinterpreted or may show up outside of their original context, and can be readily reproduced and disseminated, even after the post is taken down. When authorized to engage on social media on the College’s behalf, do not express political opinions or engage in political activities. If you are uncertain about a post, comment, or engagement, please contact the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

Be Accurate and Transparent: Make sure that you have all the facts before you post. It is better to verify information with a source first and post with less immediacy than to have to post a correction or retraction later. If you make a mistake, admit and correct it. Do not provide false or misleading information about your identity or affiliation.

Assigning Responsibility: We encourage all departments to share information with the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs, which will post on their behalf. If any additional HUC- branded public channels are maintained, ensure that they are staffed appropriately with effective training and oversight, have an identified employee responsible for social media content creation and monitoring, and keep the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs apprised of the responsible party. While student interns can be tremendous collaborators on social media initiatives, they should not be the “owners” of official HUC-branded social media accounts.

Minimize Security Risks: A compromised account can adversely affect HUC’s reputation. Use strong, randomized passwords and limit those with direct access to HUC social profiles. The National Office of Communications and Public Affairs must have access to all departmental social media accounts. Report any data or security breach to the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs immediately.

Dormant Social Media Accounts: If a social media account that bears the College’s name or logo has been created, but that account is not used in regular and/or direct support of HUC’s strategic priorities, it is required that the account be removed from the relevant social network and reported to the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs if not successfully removed.

Crisis Communications: In the event of a crisis, or if an impending crisis is suspected, social media administrators are advised to contact the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs and wait to receive instructions. All social media communications regarding a crisis will be posted by the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

Be a Good Steward: The College’s Social media activity should be professional, useful, and comply with all College standards, policies, and processes.

Users’ Personal Use of Social Media

This section of the Social Media Policy provides guidelines for a College user’s personal use of social media. When a College user is personally engaging on social media, their public HUC affiliation has the ability to affect the College as a whole.

Use a Disclaimer: It is recommended that this disclaimer be included in personal profiles: “The views expressed on [website, blog] are my own”. This is not necessary for each individual post published by a user.

Personal Responsibility: Users are responsible for what they post on personal social media accounts, including content they post on their own pages, content they post on other pages, and their engagement (likes, comments, retweets, shares, et al.) with content on other pages. HUC will not be liable for and will not indemnify a user for any liability that results from postings from personal social media accounts. Social media conduct that violates any applicable policy, practice, or standard of conduct will result in appropriate discipline, consequence, or other remedial action. Please refer to the Code of Ethics and the Employee Handbook, Faculty Handbook, and Student Handbook for more information.

Maintain Confidentiality and Privacy: Do not post information about others unless you have their permission, or it is public information. Do not post confidential or proprietary information about HUC, our students, faculty, Board members, alumni, or fellow employees. All employees of HUC are subject to FERPA, HIPAA, and other laws mandating the nondisclosure of personal information.

Use of Logo and Branding: No user is permitted to use HUC’s logo or branding on personal social media without the prior approval of the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs. Respect the intellectual property rights of others. Do not post anything that appears to be an official statement or stance of the College unless it is official and has been published on an official HUC social media channel.

Be Reasonable, Lawful, and Compliant: Use good judgment. Be ethical, truthful, respectful, and accurate. Be civil to others and their opinions. Do not engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable in HUC’s community. This includes, but is not limited to, refraining from engaging in any discriminatory, harassing, threatening, intimidating or defamatory communications, or any other activity prohibited by any applicable law or HUC policy.

Enforcement

All users are responsible for their activities when engaging in social media. This policy will be enforced consistent with all applicable laws and policies.

The National Office of Communications and Public Affairs reserves the right to remove content from the HUC-managed sites and the HUC Department-managed sites that do not comply with this policy. Users may be instructed to remove or otherwise take action in response to noncompliant social media activity. Failure to follow this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination, for employees, corrective action for students, and other consequences.

Postings that violate this policy will be investigated, regardless of whether the posting is made anonymously or under a pseudonym. Violations of this policy should be reported to the user’s immediate manager, the National Office of Communications and Public Affairs, or to Human Resources.

Policy Owner, Management, and Point of Contact Information

If you need assistance on a matter related to social media, please contact HUC’s National Office of Communications and Public Affairs at news@huc.edu or call 212-824-2209.

The National Office can help you create a departmental social media strategy and/or initiative. [Academic Freedom]

The College-Institute reserves the right to change this policy at any time. This policy is posted in the Employee Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, and the Student Handbook. and on the website.