University Cracks Down on Athlete Social Media
February 10, 2015
Filed under Academics, Administration, News
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Nowadays, with the internet making everything easily accessible, it is crucial that there is some serious thought before clicking the “post” button.
As we’ve all heard, nothing is ever truly off of the internet. A person’s mistakes on the internet can prove to be permanent and affect his or her livelihood.
We‘ve seen many celebrities make the mistake of posting crude or potentially career-ending material without a second thought.
We have also seen this problem translate into the world of sports and athletics.
For example, many believed the Manti Te’o “catfishing” incident hurt his draft stock, not to mention, ruined his credibility.
Recently, many institutions have implemented new policies to help protect the integrity of student athletes.
Henderson has implemented a policy change for student athletes that athletic staff believes will make a difference in the personal lives of students.
Henderson has a new “Guide to Social Media” that athletes are encouraged to read.
“This handbook,” the guide states, “is to help you, as a student-athlete understand how to use social media to enhance your image in a positive manner.”
The guide also goes into topics that student-athletes should avoid to keep a low profile.
Topics include politics, religion, race, abortion, gay marriage and officiating during live games. There is also a section in which athletes are encouraged to own up to their mistakes to strengthen their credibility.
Along with this guide, student-athletes are required to sign a sheet agreeeing to abide by the new policy. Shawn Jones, athletic director, explained that before he arrived on campus, there was no social media policy in place.
“It [social media] is far too important in our daily lives to not provide best practices and guidelines for its use,” Jones said.
Jones said the purpose of the new policy is “to ensure our student-athletes are aware of the power of what they type and send.”
He said it’s important to hold the athletes to a standard, citing that they represent the university and are seen as role models in the community.
Since they are seen as representatives, athletes are expected to depict the university, the team and themselves in the best possible way.
“It only works if you put in the effort to ensure everyone thinks of the consequences before hitting ‘send’ and understands the power of a positive social media presence,” Jones said.
Along with Assistant Athletic Director Frank Keenan, Jones met with each team to discuss the new policy and answer any questions that athletes had. Jones added that Keenan was especially adept at handling the situation concerning social media and student athletes.
“Our assistant athletic director, Frank Keenan, is widely respected in NCAA Division II for his understanding of social media,” Jones said.
“And he is a tremendous resource to our coaches and student-athletes on a daily basis.”
Infractions of the policy can result in a written warning for first offenders, a meeting with the athletic director and head coach for second offenders and the possibility of suspension from his or her respective team for repeat offenders.
Jones offers some simple tips that can help save athletes’ reputations and possibly their future careers:
“Set your security settings so that only friends can view your profile, do not post your email, home address, local address, phone number(s), or personal information, and be aware of who you add as a friend to your site,” Jones warned.
Jones said that not only athletes, but everyone should remember, “social media is an open microphone, and what you send truly never goes away. It is your resume and your reputation. That provides a tremendous opportunity if used properly.”
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