Social Networking Guidelines
Student-athletes should be concerned with any behavior that might embarrass themselves, their families, their teams, and/or Goshen College. This includes any activities conducted online. As a student-athlete participating in intercollegiate athletics at Goshen College, you are a representative of the college and are in the public eye. Potential employers, internship supervisors, and graduate programs now search these sites to screen candidates and applications. Please keep the following guidelines in mind as you participate on social networking sites.
- Before participating in any online community, understand that anything posted online is available to anyone in the world. Any text or photo placed online is completely out of your control the moment it is placed online, even if you limit access to your site.
- You should not post information, photos, or other items online that could embarrass you, your family, your team, the athletics department, or Goshen College. This includes information about team activities and teammates.
- You cannot post any information that is proprietary to the Athletics Department that is not public information, such as tentative or future schedules or information that is sensitive or personal in nature, such as travel plans and itineraries. You are responsible for knowing the department's Confidential and Proprietary Information Policy.
- You are personally liable for any violations of other students' or student-athletes' privacy rights, especially those that fall under federal privacy laws (FERPA or HIPAA) or that violate Goshen College student codes of conduct. You should not post your home address, local address, social security number, phone number(s), birth date, or other personal information.
- Coaches and athletic department administrators can and do monitor these sites.
- The malicious use of online social networks such as derogatory language about any member of the Goshen College community, demeaning statements about or threats to any third party, and incriminating photos or statements depicting hazing, sexual harassment, vandalism, stalking, underage drinking, illegal drug use or other inappropriate behavior will be subject to disciplinary action by the head coach and/or Athletics Director.
Media Interviews
During an interview you are representing not only yourself but also your team, the athletics department and Goshen College. Student-athletes are encouraged to take advantage of interview opportunities, although you do have the right to refuse to be interviewed if you do not wish to be.
- If a reporter contacts you about an interview in advance, contact your coach and the sports information director so they are informed about the situation.
- During an in-person interview, stand up straight and look at the person who is interviewing you.
- Keep in mind that the reporter can use anything you say, even if one of you says that something is "off the record" or if you later ask the reporter not to include a certain statement.
- Speak in concise phrases as much as possible, as it is likely that the reporter will use short clips.
- Avoid making negative comments about opponents, teammates, coaches or anyone else.
- If you know about an interview in advance, consider ahead of time how you might answer questions that the reporter is likely to ask. If you are worried about a particular question that you might be asked, your coach and the athletic director can work with you to prepare an answer.
- Remember that you are allowed to refuse to answer any question. Simply be firm and say that you do not wish to comment on the issue.
- Even if it appears the reporter is antagonizing or bating you, do not act annoyed or get into an argument. Instead, continue to treat the reporter politely and try to move on to another topic.
- If you don't know the answer to a question, simply say so rather than guessing or making up an answer.
Confidential and Proprietary Information Policy
On a daily basis, members of the Goshen College Athletics Department receive and handle sensitive information. In a college setting where information often flows freely, it is important for the student-athletes, coaches and staff members of the Athletics Department to understand the potential impact of sharing certain information or the premature release of certain information to individuals outside the department. There are two important categories of information that the Athletics Department considers sensitive and controlled by the overall department for release. This falls into two categories which are related in how student-athletes, coaches and staff may utilize them in social networking or other public statements. The first is Confidential Information, which is defined as information that would be restricted by law or statute from general public release. The obvious examples are health and welfare information that is covered by HIPAA or student-athlete academic record data subject to FERPA. The second is Proprietary Information, which has two basic categories: intellectual property and transactional information.
Combined, Confidential and Proprietary Information shall not be disseminated by student-athletes, coaches or staff members of the Goshen College Athletics Department without the expressed written consent of all parties involved. Dissemination of CPI will be subject to disciplinary action as determined by the Athletics Director.
Information that is considered Proprietary Information includes anything which involves a transaction of the Athletics Department, personnel matters of the Athletics Department and all scheduling within the Athletics Department. Transactions include business arrangements, negotiations for equipment and other supplies, contracts for athletic contests and travel arrangements. Transactions also include the hiring or dismissal of coaches, signing, discipline or departure of student-athletes, health and availability of student-athletes for competition, and the preview and review of athletic events.
There is an additional type of CPI that relates to the training regimes and competition strategy of individuals, coaches, and teams. Pre-game scouting reports, game plans, playbooks, and other materials created to plan strategy by the members of the coaching staff are the intellectual property of that coaching staff. The unauthorized reproduction of such material not only reveals team plans, but also violates the copyright of the individual coach.
The Confidential and Proprietary Information Policy applies to all members of the Goshen College Athletics Department, inclusive of all coaches, administration, student-athletes and support staff.
