Cornell College Interactive Online Community Policy

All policies outlined in the student handbook, The Compass, apply to Cornell College discussion boards and online communities. This includes, but is not limited to, harassment, language, solicitation, copyright, and libel.

1. Only officially recognized student organizations or departmentally sponsored or recognized groups may have an interactive online discussion board.
2. All discussion boards must be moderated by a Cornell College employee or student. Any student-initiated discussion board must have permission from a faculty/staff advisor and that person will be responsible for having the board moderated. Discussion boards within the alumni online community may be moderated by an alumnus designated by the Alumni Office.
3. Anonymous posters and impersonators are not allowed. Each user will be allowed only one account per online community.
4. Links to sites providing illegally downloadable copyrighted material are not permitted. Transmission of chain letters, junk e-mail, or bulk communications of any kind is not allowed. Advertising, such as in the online alumni community yellowpages, is not allowed unless the interactive online community agrees to it in advance. Consistent with Cornell's Web policy, no fund-raising activity is allowed except as approved by the Director of College Advancement. No member shall use any other member's information, personal or otherwise, for any commercial purpose or to obtain direct financial gain. Users are prohibited from violating or attempting to violate the security of the website. Moderators are responsible for enforcing these rules.
5. If a discussion board is unmoderated for more than 60 days, the moderator may be contacted and the site may be removed or temporarily inactivated.
6. Individual interactive online communities and discussion boards may impose more restrictive policies than those set forth by the Compass or this document.
7. Cornell College reserves the right to terminate access to an interactive online community for cause including, but not limited to, if the Director of Marketing and Communications believes that a user or a community has violated or acted inconsistently with the letter or spirit of this policy. Violations by students will be reported to the Dean of Students. Decisions may be appealed to a committee comprised of the chair of ITAC (Information Technology Advisory Committee), Director of Marketing and Communications, the College Librarian, Dean of Students, and the Webmaster, or their designates.
8. Neither Cornell College, nor its respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, shall be liable for any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of any member, or from any claims, losses, liability costs and expenses arising from user's violations of this agreement, state or federal laws, or regulations or any third party's rights, including, but not limited to, claims of copyright infringement, patent infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, libel, slander, trade libel, defamation, harassment, invasion of privacy, or fraud.