Social media engagement has far-reaching impacts. Students, staff, and faculty at ADLER are required to ensure that their social media presence is in keeping with the ADLER Honour Code and Code of Conduct and this policy, which they agree to when they sign the Agreement to Register or a contract to provide services.
Students should be aware that their social media profiles will be accessible to patients, clients, supervisors, and current and future employers unless they take protective measures. Keeping that in mind, the school cautions students to ensure that their social media presence reflects who they plan to be as professionals and how they wish to be viewed by the public and employers.
Students should also be aware of the Social Media Guidelines for the Professional College in which they intend to register (Primarily the College of Psychologists of Ontario or College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario).
Breaches of the Social Media Policy will be investigated as breaches of the Code of Conduct and are subject to the same procedures and consequences defined in the Academic Calendar for Code of Conduct violations.
This policy applies to any student, staff, or faculty member in contexts in which they are identifiable as affiliated with Adler Graduate Professional School (AGPS).
Definitions
Adler Graduate Professional School Inc.(AGPS)
A private graduate school in Toronto, Ontario, which operates graduate academic and bridging programs in psychology and psychotherapy.
Student
Any individual who is enrolled in an academic program at Adler Graduate Professional School.
Faculty Member
Any individual contracted by AGPS to provide instruction as part of any academic program offered by the school. This includes Teaching Assistants under contract with AGPS.
Social Media
Any website or web-based service that allows individuals or organizations to communicate or create profiles and post or publish media, text, images, or other material in a way that is available publicly or through a membership, either free or paid to other individuals or organizations through web-based or digital access.
Any member of the ADLER Community may report a violation of the Social Media Policy to the Dean or Director of the program in which the student is enrolled. The report must be in writing and include, at a minimum:
- The name of both the person reporting the violation and the person accused of violating the policy
- The social media service and profile name related to the complaint
- Evidence related to the alleged violation. This can take the form of links, screenshots, or other media or text related to the complaint
Social Media Policy
Students, staff and faculty:
- May not develop social media profiles or accounts that describe them as representatives of Adler Graduate Professional School, other than in their role as students, staff or faculty.
- May not use the logos, crest, or other AGPS-owned assets as part of the avatars or branding of the social media profiles without permission from the school.
- Should not post depictions or identifying descriptions of other students, faculty members or staff members without permission from those individuals who appear in the photo, video or other media.
- May not post content related to the school that contravenes the spirit of the Code of Honour or Code of Conduct. This includes material that is abusive or disrespectful to members of the ADLER Community or the professions of Psychology or Psychotherapy. This also applies to commentary relating to clients, patients or practicum and internship sites, and staff.
- Should avoid posting copyrighted or protected material, especially in the context of school-related content.
- In a post or profile in which the student, staff member, or faculty member is identified as affiliated with AGPS, posting in a role related to the school (e.g. student representative, student researcher, faculty member) they should avoid overtly political activities or statements. This does not apply to personal or commercial accounts with no affiliation to the school or where the individual does not identify as affiliated with AGPS.
- May not post, publish or reveal personal information belonging to any member of the ADLER Community without permission from that individual.
- May not publish information related to the school, faculty members, or school employees that is inaccurate, fraudulent, or defamatory. This is prohibited by law in Ontario but also contravenes the Code of Honour and Code of Conduct and may result in consequences related to AGPS Policies.
Policy Note
Students, staff, and Faculty are not prohibited from posting information or commentary that is critical of AGPS but must do so in accordance with this policy in places where they identify as affiliated with AGPS.