5.4.18 Online Harassment and Misconduct

adopted: Feb-2021
last revised: Feb-2021

The policies of Richland Community College are written and interpreted broadly to include online manifestations of any of the behaviors prohibited elsewhere in the policies, when those behaviors occur in or have an effect on the Recipient’s education program and activities or when they involve the use of Richland Community College networks, technology, or equipment.

Although Richland Community College may not control websites, social media, and other venues through which harassing communications are made, when such communications are reported to Richland Community College, it will engage in a variety of means to address and mitigate the effects.

Members of the community are encouraged to be good digital citizens and to refrain from online misconduct, such as feeding anonymous gossip sites, sharing inappropriate content via social media, unwelcome sexual or sex-based messaging, distributing or threatening to distribute revenge pornography, breaches of privacy, or otherwise using the ease of transmission and/or anonymity of the Internet or other technology to harm another member of the Richland community.

Any online posting or other electronic communication by students, including cyberbullying, cyber-stalking, cyber-harassment, etc., occurring completely outside of the Recipient’s control (e.g., not on Recipient networks, websites, or between Recipient email accounts) will only be subject to this Policy when such online conduct can be shown to cause a substantial in-program disruption or infringement on the rights of others.

Otherwise, such communications are considered speech protected by the First Amendment. Supportive measures for Complainants will be provided, but protected speech cannot legally be subjected to discipline.

Off-campus harassing speech by employees, whether online or in person, may be regulated by the Recipient only when such speech is made in an employee’s official or work-related capacity.

ATIXA 2020 ONE POLICY, TWO PROCEDURES MODEL USE AND ADAPTATION OF THIS MODEL WITH CITATION TO ATIXA IS PERMITTED THROUGH A LIMITED LICENSE TO RICHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE ALL OTHER RIGHTS RESERVED. ©2021. ATIXA