Section 4

Policy and Guidelines Pertaining to Online Communication

I- Policy

Residence Life student staff assume positions of residence hall leaders and role models. They act as University representatives when interacting with other students and the public. As such, Resident Assistants, Cluster Office Managers, Peer Mentors, and Apartment Living Advisors must demonstrate exemplary adherence to, and be actively involved in promoting the University’s Code of Student Conduct. Residence Life expects the same standards of behavior with online communication as with other forms of communication. Participation in non-University affiliated on-line communities should not include behavior that may be subjected to disciplinary action. Examples of such behavior include, but are not limited to: sending abusive language by any communication technology, photos of staff members violating policies and practices of the Code of Student Conduct as well as State and Federal laws, distribution of inappropriate info and/or confidential correspondence, hosting offensive photos, blogs, websites or videos. Inappropriate behavior compromises the professional integrity and the ability of Residence Life student staff to present themselves as role models, and may result in personnel action (from warning to termination) as well as University judicial action.

II – Guidelines

1. Use Online Communication in a Positive manner: Promote positive behavior and activities for your community. Community web pages and group lists may help build community and build communication. Be sure that such sites and lists are in compliance with Housing Technology expectations. Inform your supervisor of the sites and if lists exist.
2. Communicate effectively with Students: Encourage your residents to use the capabilities of the internet to enhance their knowledge and expand their professional opportunities. Share University links with them that provide resources and activities. At times, you will use the Cluster Office computer to respond to student questions and manage cluster office functions. Your Senior Staff team will provide specific instructions and expectations to you for Cluster Office computer use.
3. Use Positive Comments to Defuse Conflicts: Offering resources and encouraging students to address issues in person is one way to de-escalate an online conflict. Do not engage in ongoing online conflict. It's very easy and tempting to type a response or provide a comment about someone. If your statement is not well balanced and neutral in nature (a difficult thing to do), it may inflame a situation and draw you into the conflict.
4. Be Mindful of the Boundaries of Your Position: Your job is to refer students to campus agencies-- not to assume the role of those agencies. Refrain from posting information suggesting that you have knowledge in areas when you do not. Everything you put online is subject to scrutiny. Date your postings so if information changes you are covered with your posting. Always verify the accuracy and legality of your information.
5. Use Online Communication to Promote Your Skills and Education: Post your resume online or build a web site to present your knowledge and skills. Be mindful of posting material that may present you in a negative manner. Think of what may happen if a potential employer sees your personal Web page or Face book profile; or receives your away message and/or listens to your voice mail message. Instead of presenting yourself in a positive manner, you will be compromising your professional integrity if you post pictures of yourself with alcohol or depicting you violating any policy. Remember that “funny” may not always be appropriate.

III - Student Awareness Issues Regarding Online Behavior:

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) at UMass Amherst posts relevant and important information on its website. Please read and promote that information to your residents.

• OIT Policies: http://www.oit.umass.edu/policies/index.html
• Information Security Awareness and Education: http://security.umassp.edu/

As a student staff member, you can raise student awareness regarding online issues, which include:

1. Cyberstalking: The more information you reveal about yourself online, the higher the probability that you will become a victim of cyberstalking. The activity of cyberstalking begins by following a victim's online activity and initiating online contact. Cyberstalking may be limited to online activity as the victim and the cyberstalker may not live in the same state or even country. However, it is very possible that a cyberstalker could initiate actual contact and become a stalker. Here are some tips to limit your vulnerability to cyberstalking:

• Use neutral nicknames or screen names; not ones that are suggestive or provocative.
• Do not respond to messages that make you feel uncomfortable. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, don't add that person on your list of friends. Accept messages only from friends that you know and trust.
• Limit access to your online profiles to friends that you trust, especially if your profile includes information about your contact information, address, and where you are going to be every minute of the day. Before you post where you are going, think about the possible consequences of someone having that information.

2. Identity Theft: This occurs when someone uses your personal information (name, birthdate, email address, home address, credit card number, etc.) inappropriately and/or illegally. This type of activity is on the rise, and can cause you legal problems and significant financial loss. Online networks allow a very high level of surveillance. Most commercial and many personal websites use "cookies" (small pieces of software they send to your computer) to monitor your online activity and to collect or store any profile and other information you may type into fields. Some cookies can extract information from your email browser directly without you actually providing this information yourself. Cookies may not pose a direct threat to your online safety, however, many commercial websites collect information and sell it to other marketers. The outcome is more junk emails in your inbox, some of which will attempt to defraud you. Here are some general tips to enhance your online safety:

• Don't make a habit of filling online information fields. The more often you do so, the higher the possibility that online criminals will find your information.
• Never enter contests or fill profile information on suspect and/or unfamiliar websites. Those may include gambling websites or those that offer to give you a credit card without a credit check, etc.
• Don't respond to emails if you don't know the person, especially those that ask for profile information or credit card information. If an email sounds too good to be true, that's exactly what it is--a fraudulent email.
• Create strong passwords that are a combination of letters, numbers and other characters, and change them periodically.
• Delete cookies once a week, or limit their life to current session.
• Read the privacy notice on your favorite and trusted websites. Those are the sites you trust and use most frequently such as Yahoo email and Messenger (or similar services) Facebook, Myspace, etc. The Privacy notice would inform you that your profile information would be shared with other companies. It also includes tips how modify your profile settings to give limited access to your profile (i.e., not all people can read your profile).
• Don’t respond to requests for personal info from banks, etc.

3. Online Harassment: This includes any activity that can make an individual (or a group) feel targeted by others. For example, a webpage, blog, or Facebook group entitled "The Place for those who hate ______" will cause the targeted individual extreme distress. Discourage your residents from engaging in such activity and inform them that it can result in judicial sanctions. Inform your Senior Staff about such behavior promptly. In some cases, UMPD will use IM logs, blogs, etc. as evidence.

4. Defamatory Comments: These may appear in IM comments, group emails, blogs, Facebook comments, etc. Discourage your residents from resorting to such hostile and unjustified criticism. Such comments can exasperate and inflame conflict. Trace the cause of such comments, report to Senior Staff, and inform residents that such behavior may lead to judicial sanction.

5. Personal Reputation: Be aware that many agencies have begun using information they find online to draw conclusions about individuals. University officials and employers are among many agencies that use Facebook, Myspace, etc. to see the comments, profiles, pictures, etc. that individuals post online to influence hiring and assessment decisions. To avoid misrepresenting yourself:

• Ensure that your profiles, webpages, blogs, etc. do not contain comments or pictures that give others the wrong idea about you. It's great to have a sense of humor, but don't confuse that with unbecoming behavior.
• Include in your online material some information about your achievements, aspirations, knowledge, and skills. Think of it as an expanded resume where you need to demonstrate your talents and show that you are capable of thoughtful reflections, creative input, responsible behavior, etc.

6. Internet Addiction: Raise your residents' awareness about issues of internet addiction, and promote other forms of activities. Refer residents who struggle with excessive internet use to seek consult from a professional. For more information about this topic, see:
http://www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Winter_2004/StudentInternetUse.html