This social media policy defines the procedures for the creation and use of official College social media accounts, the College’s content moderation policy, and guidelines for faculty and staff who represent the College on their personal profiles.

Social media is an amazing tool to spread the word about the incredible things happening every day at Carthage, but it does come with some inherent risks. The policy below is intended to put people in the best position to have fun promoting the College while also being safe and minimizing risk.


Moderation Policy

Posts/comments will be removed if they:

  • Incite violence
  • Contain threats or an intent to harm
  • Encourage illegal activity
  • Contain harassment
  • Include profanities or obscene language
  • Promote a business or commercial transaction
  • Specifically promote a candidate campaigning for election

Carthage College may choose at any time to limit posts and comments to topics relevant to a specific group’s purpose.

Carthage reserves the right to also remove “spam” or other off-topic comments.


Endorsement Disclaimer

Carthage College is not responsible for, and does not endorse nor oppose, comments posted on its various social media platforms.

Speaking on Behalf of Carthage College
As the Employee Handbook states, the only people who can officially speak on behalf of the College are the President and his/her/their designee, and the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications and his/her/their designee.

Personal/Professional Social Media Interaction Guidelines
Individuals who identify themselves as Carthage College faculty or staff within their personal social media use (e.g., a personal blog, Twitter account, or Facebook profile) are encouraged to practice the following:

  • Clearly identify who you are.
  • Make it clear that the views expressed are your own.
  • Consider using a standard disclaimer: “The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Carthage College.”
  • Do not speak on behalf of the College or portray yourself as a spokesperson for the institution.
  • Remember that you are responsible for what you post and are subject to the Carthage Code of Conduct.
  • All employees are subject to FERPA, HIPAA, and other laws mandating the nondisclosure of personal information.
  • When representing the College, be mindful of all spelling and grammar.


Institutional Social Platforms

  • All social media accounts created on behalf of the College must be linked to a carthage.edu email account, never a personal email account.
  • All accounts must have two full-time Carthage employees as administrators.
  • College employees and representatives who post on behalf of the institution must be mindful at all times of promoting the College’s mission.
  • Keep personal views separate from College posts. When posting on behalf of the College, ensure that the contents of your post will further the College’s mission and reflect positively on the College as a whole.
  • Keep any non-public information (closings, cancellations, emergencies, news) confidential until it has been officially announced by the College.
  • Official social media accounts must adhere to Carthage’s visual representation standards.
  • Dormant official social media accounts bearing the Carthage name will be removed.
  • Changes to account names must be approved by the Office of Marketing and Communications.
  • All social media accounts affiliated with Carthage must share password and other log-in credentials with the Office of Marketing and Communications and all account administrators.
  • Anytime a password is changed, all account administrators and the Office of Marketing and Communications must be notified.
  • All passwords must be changed once a semester and all account administrators and the Office of Marketing and Communications must be notified.
  • Institutional accounts should not promote personal accounts and should be relevant to the account’s stated purpose.

Creating New Social Media Accounts
The Office of Marketing and Communications approves all official Carthage College social media accounts through an application process. Social media accounts, profiles, and initiatives from offices and departments must be approved before accounts are established and used.

Registering Existing Social Media Accounts
All College social media accounts in existence prior to this policy’s original issue date of Sept. 14, 2020, must have account administrators and backups assigned and registered within 90 days of that date.

Changes in Account Administration
Each account must have an identified primary and backup administrator. If one of these positions is vacant, a new account administrator must be identified. Account administrators and backup administrators must ensure that any former user no longer has access to the site and must update the registration information with the Office of Marketing and Communications. Contact the Office of Marketing and Communications with the account’s new password and new administrator name and title.

This social media policy was last updated on May 7, 2021.