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REGULATION TITLE: Social Media Communications

APPLIES TO: All employees, departments, and units of Kentucky State University

ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY: Office of Marketing & Public Relations Office of the President

APPROVED BY: Kentucky State University Board of Regents

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 8, 2025

NEXT REVIEW DATE: August 8, 2028

REGULATION STATEMENT:

Social media are powerful communication platforms. To enhance and protect the University's reputation, as well as the personal and professional reputations of its community members, Kentucky State University (KSU) has established this regulation. Both in their professional and personal capacities, employees are expected to follow the same behavioral standards online as they would in person. All laws, professional expectations, and guidelines for interacting with students, alumni, donors, and other constituents apply to online forums. Employees are accountable for any institutionally related content they post.

DEFINITIONS:

Social Media

Forms of electronic communication through which users share information, ideas, messages, photos, and videos. Examples include, but are not limited to, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

University-Affiliated Social Media Account

Any social media account administered by an official KSU department or unit, registered with the Office of Marketing & Public Relations, and used to support the business function of that unit.

University News

Information that would ordinarily be released to the public via official KSU channels. It does not include routine departmental communications.

PROCESS:

Establishing University-Affiliated Social Media Accounts

• Consultation and Registration: Departments or units wishing to start a social media page must first consult with and register the account with the Office of Marketing & Public Relations to ensure adherence to university policy and branding.
• Designate Administrators: All official KSU social media accounts must be registered with a KSU email address and must have at least two full-time KSU employees designated as page administrators. The names and contact information for these administrators must be on file with the Office of Marketing & Public Relations.
• Student Managers: Students may not serve as primary page administrators but may serve as account managers, provided they abide by the same guidelines required of all administrators.
• Strategic Plan: Departments should have a plan for their social media accounts, considering messages, audiences, goals, and a strategy for keeping information current. The Office of Marketing & Public Relations can assist with this planning.
• Branding and Logos: All accounts must comply with KSU branding guidelines and use approved KSU logos. The Office of Marketing & Public Relations can provide approved logos and photos.

Posting on Behalf of the University

• Link to KSU Website: Whenever possible, social media posts should be brief and link back to content that resides on the official KSU website (www.kysu.edu).
• Protect the Institutional Voice: Posts should remain professional in tone and taste. Accounts should be clearly named and branded to represent the specific department or unit, not KSU as a whole.
• Strive for Accuracy: All posts should be checked for grammatical errors and factual accuracy. If an error is made, it should be corrected as quickly as possible.

Institutional Management of Official KSU Accounts

• Content Moderation: KSU reserves the right to hide or delete comments or posts from its official social media channels if the content is inaccurate, inappropriate, libelous, or incendiary. Inappropriate comments such as hate speech, personal attacks, profanity, or spam may be removed and/or reported.

• University Response: KSU strives to respond to comments in a timely manner during business hours and forwards questions to the appropriate offices. The decision to respond to negative comments is made on a case-by-case basis.
• Emergency Communications: In the event of an emergency, official messaging will be shared via KSU's primary channels. KSU-affiliated accounts should only share these original, official posts in their entirety and without embellishment.

Personal Use of Social Media by Employees

• Disclaimer Required: Employees should not blend their personal and institutional voices. When posting on personal platforms, employees should identify their views as their own and not those of the KSU. An example disclaimer is: "The postings on this site are my own and do not represent the views, positions, or opinions of Kentucky State University."

• Adhere to University Policies:

• oPersonal use of social media on KSU equipment should be limited to breaks and lunchtimes.
• oEmployees must comply with all KSU policies, including those regarding professionalism, harassment, and discrimination.
• oUsers are personally responsible and can be held personally liable for commentary that is considered defamatory, obscene, or libelous.
• No Expectation of Privacy: There is no expectation of privacy when using KSU equipment or networks. KSU reserves the right to monitor or limit access when a violation of policy or law is suspected.
• Protect Confidential Information: Employees shall not use social media to disclose any confidential information regarding KSU, its students, or employees. This includes complying with all federal requirements such as FERPA.

Violations and Sanctions

Non-compliance with this regulation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis, consistent with Human Resources policies and the Student Code of Conduct, and may result in sanctions including, but not limited to:

• Limitation or revocation of rights to administer a university-affiliated social media account.
• Removal of posts or entire accounts.
• Corrective or disciplinary actions, up to and including dismissal.

REFERENCES AND RELATED MATERIALS:

• Appropriate Use of Technology Policy
• KSU Brand Identity Standards and Editorial Stylebook

CONTACTS:

HISTORY: