UMass Dartmouth Social Media Policy For Student-Athletes

The UMass Dartmouth Department of Athletics understands the popularity and usefulness of social media networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, You Tube and others and supports their use by student-athletes provided that:

• No offensive or inappropriate pictures are posted;
• No offensive or inappropriate comments are posted;
• Any information placed on the website(s) does not violate University, athletics department or student-athlete codes of conduct;
• Photos and/or comments posted on these sites do not depict team-related or University-identifiable activities (including wearing/using team uniforms or gear inappropriately).

Student-athletes must remember that they are representatives of UMass Dartmouth and are in the public eye more so than other students. Please keep the following in mind as you participate on social networking websites:

• Before participating in any online community, understand that anything posted online is available to anyone in the world. Any text or photo placed online becomes the property of the site(s) and is completely out of your control the moment it is placed online - even if you limit access to your site.
• You should not post any information, photos or other items online that could embarrass you, your family, your team, the athletics department or UMass Dartmouth. This includes information that may be posted by others on your page.
• Never post your home address, local address phone number(s), birth date or other personal information. You could be a target of predators.
• Coaches and athletics department administrators may monitor these web sites.
• Student-athletes could face discipline and even dismissal for violations of team, department, University and/or NCAA policies.

UMass Dartmouth Public Safety and other local law enforcement agencies may monitor these websites regularly as may potential employers and internship supervisors as a way of screening applicants. In addition, many graduate programs and scholarship committees also search these sites to screen candidates. UMass Dartmouth student-athletes should be very careful when using online social networking sites and keep in mind that sanctions may be imposed, including the loss of your eligibility for the season, if these sites are used improperly or depict inappropriate, embarrassing or dangerous behaviors.