Policy

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse uses social media as a tool to share information about the university, connect with prospective students, current students, employees, parents, alumni and other community supporters. We also see it as a valuable venue to support the university’s mission.

Guidelines for university sponsored social media:

UWL social media accounts (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) are managed by University Marketing & Communications at UW-La Crosse. Specific UWL office, department and organization accounts are maintained by faculty, staff and students on a volunteer basis. Links to content or other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the organizations, entities, views or content contained therein. UW-La Crosse is not responsible for the content of external websites.

UWL does not regularly moderate content posted to its social media sites, however we reserve the right to remove content for any reason, including but not limited to, content that is threatening, intimidating, harassment, derogatory, malicious, hateful, obscene, profane, depicts graphic violence, off-topic, solicits, spams, or illegal.

At any time, we may block offenders from accessing our page without notice.

Users are fully responsible for any content they share on any UWL social media site. By submitting content on those social media sites, users agree to allow UWL to use the information for internal and external promotional purposes. Users who do not wish to have information they have made available via these sites used, published, copied and/or reprinted, should not post on the social media sites.

Please ensure that any content you post in this community complies with the university’s Code of Conduct and the Terms of Service and other applicable policies from the social media platform.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Social media expectations for employees:

It’s appropriate to be active on social media at work if your comments are directly related to accomplishing work goals, such as seeking sources for information or working with others to resolve a problem. You should participate in personal social media conversations on your own time.

When you might be perceived online as an agent/expert of UW-La Crosse, you need to make sure it is clear to the audience that you are not representing the position of UW-La Crosse or UW-La Crosse policy.

*These guidelines has been adapted from the UW-Madison Social Media Statement and UW-Madison Policies & Guidelines

UW-La Crosse believes that promoting and celebrating all identities is not only the right thing to do, but a key factor in the continued success of the university. Illegal discrimination and discriminatory harassment have no place on our campus or in our community. We are committed to building and maintaining a community where all people feel safe, welcome and valued.

As such, UWL has designated a Title VI/Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator, who oversees the response to reports of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

People who experience or witness harassing behavior on social media and/or in person are encouraged to document the incident(s) and submit a report using the Bias Incident Report form.

The Center for Civil Dialogue and Civic Engagement (CDCE) envisions a campus where meaningful dialogue and civic engagement foster a culture of belonging, mutual understanding, and collective growth. Through critical thinking, courageous conversations, and inclusive collaboration, CDCE strives to build a more connected and engaged community.

The Bias Support & Education team (BSET) exists to address forms of bias through consistent campus climate monitoring and proactive education. BSET also develops programming and training opportunities to address intolerance.

While we hope all former UWL students and employees conduct themselves appropriately in person and online, it is important to note that these individuals do not fall within the university’s purview. If people experience or witness harassing behavior by a former student or employee on social media, we encourage them to report the incident.

Additionally, if an employee or student's behavior on social media is interfering with a person's ability to do their job or complete their coursework, that person should contact Human Resources (if the issue concerns an employee) or Student Life (if the issue concerns a student). The UWL-Online-Support-and-Resources.pdf outlines recommendations and campus roles in protecting employees who are experiencing online bias, trolling or harassment.