Social Media Guidelines for University-Affiliated Accounts

To preserve North Park University’s brand and better assist you in publicizing information, we’ve compiled a list of guidelines and best practices to adhere to when posting underneath the university or university affiliate name.

Before creating a social media account for a university affiliated group or program, consider:

Does my group or program already have a social media account? If so, is the account active? Do not attempt to duplicate accounts or create a second account before closing and deleting the inactive account.

UMC defines an active account as one that posts to a feed one time per month or one time per week seasonally (ex. Threshold and other event specific accounts).

Does your group or program have a designated person who will take on the responsibility of maintaining a social media account? If so, ensure that person has access to an email or phone number that is affiliated with your entire group. This ensures access to the account is not attainable by only one person.
What is the goal of creating a social media presence for your group or program? Will you share events, reach out to potential members? Make sure you have a loose plan for what content you will share before creating an account.

Facebook: facebook.com/npuchicago
Instagram: @npuchicago
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/edu/school?id=18285
X: @NPU
TikTok: @NorthParkChicago
YouTube: youtube.com/user/northparku
Vimeo: vimeo.com/npu

North Park is committed to utilizing social media as we all learn and grow together. While North Park University encourages the use of social media, all users should remember that social media tools are a powerful form of communication that can have a significant impact on organizational, professional, and individual reputations. Whether participating on behalf of the university, a university-related group, or personally, all users must follow the same behavioral standards online as they would in face-to-face or one-on-one interactions.

Posting/speaking on behalf of the university

Only administration-designated employees are permitted to post or comment on behalf of the university. If you receive an external request for comment “by the university” or an inquiry requiring a response on behalf of the university, you should direct the request or inquiry to the Office of Marketing and Communications.

General usage guidelines

Take responsibility and be transparent

You are responsible for anything you post online. Reflect and use sound judgment before posting.
Practice academic integrity. Never post content that invites academic dishonesty. Remember both the enabler and the student taking advantage of the material are equally guilty. Find more information on this policy in the North Park University Student Handbook.
Practice personal integrity. Do not make or endorse reckless or malicious false statements. Never misrepresent or conceal your identity.

If writing in your personal capacity about university matters, make clear that the views you express are your own, not necessarily those of the university.

Respect your audience and colleagues

Abide by the ethical, moral, and professional standards of North Park University as outlined in the Student Handbook, Employee Handbook, and Manual of Academic Personnel Policies.
Do not express, communicate, or link to libelous, defamatory, harassing, or pornographic content, even by way of example or illustration.
Never make statements or post photos or videos that directly or indirectly threaten harm (whether through violence, economic intimidation, exclusion, or other means) to an individual, group, or the university.
Do not promote illegal conduct such as sexual violence, vandalism, underage drinking, or involvement with controlled substances.

Respect the property of others

Respect intellectual property rights. Do not distribute copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright owner. Do not use trademarks or logos without the owner’s permission. Adhere to the user agreements (terms and policies) for each social media site.
When using North Park University-owned computers or the campus network to access social media sites, comply with all Acceptable Use policies.

Respect confidentiality

Respect personal boundaries and individual privacy rights. Public disclosure of private facts may cause serious emotional or psychological injury.
Do not post sensitive personally identifying information (such as social security numbers, student identification numbers, addresses, or birthdates). Such information may enable identity theft.
Do not post any information about another person that is protected from disclosure by law or professional standards (such as medical information or student education records). Check with your program or department to determine whether it has a specific social media usage protocol to ensure compliance with professional and privacy requirements.

Respect the university’s interests

Do not post anything that interferes with your work, the university’s educational mission, or the welcoming and diverse environment the university promotes as a Christian, city-centered, and intercultural institution.
If you find negative posts by a third party about the university, its faculty, staff, or students that you believe need a response by the university, contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at umc@northpark.edu.

Compliance with non-profit status: As a 501(c)(3) organization, North Park University is “absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office” (see here). To safeguard the university’s non-profit status, this prohibition applies to the university’s social media accounts. While promoting candidates is improper, nonpartisan efforts to encourage members of the North Park community to vote are acceptable as long as specific candidates or political stances are not part of the message.

Be wary

Accounts who communicate with your page online may not be real people, but rather artificially generated “bots.” Be sure to look through an account thoroughly before interacting with it and never give personal information to someone over the internet.
Posted information can be repeated, linked, and reported. Be mindful when commenting and resharing others’ posts.

UMC will remove unacceptable posts

Actions that are unacceptable in other settings are also unacceptable on university social media channels. Posts or interactions that violate our community standards and policies will be removed at the discretion of the university. North Park-sponsored online forums should be used for discussion of general interests and issues relating to North Park, not specific individuals and situations. These include, but are not limited to, the social media guidelines above as well as those outlined in the North Park University Student Handbook. The following are prohibited:

Harassment in any form.
Failure to respect the rights of others, such as the right to privacy.
Forgery or other misrepresentation of one’s identity.
Distribution of copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright owner.
Posts containing personal attacks, profanity, nudity, hate speech, illegal material, or that otherwise violate the Social Media Guidelines.
Advertising/soliciting for non-University-sponsored products, programs, and events.
Spam

Complaints and reporting violations

If you feel that you have been harassed or victimized by another individual’s social media use, please report it by following the complaint procedures outlined in the University’s Policy against Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation. If the individual you have a complaint against is another member of the North Park community, the university will take all the appropriate steps as outlined in the applicable university policy.

The university cannot immediately review every comment posted on a North Park sponsored page. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the university and the university does not guarantee the accuracy of these posted comments.

Requests that content be removed from university social media channels, as well as comments about content, should be addressed to North Park University’s Office of Marketing and Communications.

Most social media channels offer a method for reporting offensive or harassing posts. For North Park-sponsored sites, contact the University Marketing and Communications Office at umc@northpark.edu.

Students may also find it helpful to seek the support and advice of their Resident Director, North Park University staff member, or the Dean of Students. Faculty and staff may contact Human Resources.

The primary purpose of giving students access to a university account is to showcase what life is like as a student at North Park University—from classes to clubs and activities to just hanging out with friends. You have been personally selected to use North Park’s social media accounts and to represent the university for up to 24 hours publicly.

During this time, you are encouraged to highlight your unique personality in a respectful and responsible way and to let the university’s followers get to know you and North Park a little bit better.

Here are some things we would love for you to share:

Classes and academic projects
Your student organizations
Life in Chicago
Campus events
Your job/internship
Hobbies outside of school
Volunteer work and service projects

However, because you are representing North Park University, you are to keep the university’s reputation in mind as you post at all times.

Here are some things we need you to stay away from sharing:

Profanity
Drug or alcohol use
Personal attacks
Pictures or videos containing nudity or other sexual content

Personal information about individuals without their permission
Commercial promotions
Opinions regarding politics or University policies

Non-interference with applicable laws

This policy is not intended to restrict or interfere with the legal rights of any student or employee, including, but not limited to, all rights under the National Labor Relations Act, Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, or other equal opportunity laws, or any whistleblower protection law. Please contact the Director of Human Resources if you have any questions about this policy.