Addressing Social Media Harassment Guideline

For safety and security matters, employees are encouraged to take advantage of College and campus resources to help them respond to an immediate situation and address long-term concerns. Resources are also available to support academic and other administrators in responding to external attacks against Hendrix employees when appropriate. Knowing about relevant resources and support in advance of a crisis will help the College and campus respond more effectively when a situation requires immediate action. As each situation is unique, we offer advice and resources, not prescribed procedures.

This section offers suggestions for individuals at various levels in the College, including:

• Individual Employee
• Academic Administrators (e.g., Department Chair, Area Chair, Associate Provost, Provost)
• Campus Administrators (e.g., Senior Leadership Team members/Vice President or Administrative Managers Group members/Associate Vice President, Director)
• Communications Office

Individual Employees

The following suggestions may be useful in your personal safety planning.

• If you believe your physical safety is at risk, immediately notify Public Safety regarding on-campus safety and/or for guidance on involving local law enforcement.
• Notify your Academic or Campus Administrator(s) of the situation. See the "Employee Safety and Support Checklist" (Appendix B) for ways in which your academic unit might be able to support you. You do not need to manage this experience on your own.
• If you are concerned that the individuals targeting you know where you live and are concerned about home safety, create a safety plan for home and work. Hendrix Public Safety can assist you in assessing risk and planning accordingly.
• If you experience gender-based or sexual harassment, contact the Title IX Office or the Office of Human Resources to ensure that you are fully aware of your rights and resources.
• Consult with the College's Office of Communications. Contact Rob O'Connor at oconnor@hendrix.edu or 501.450.1225 or Amy Forbus at forbus@hendrix.edu or 501.450.1462.
• Do not delete any messages, but you may want to disengage from reading all emails in your inbox, listening to all voice messages, etc. Preserved messages may be of use in identifying the harassers and pressing any relevant charges. Create a log to document and archive all threatening emails, tweets, social media posts, and phone messages. Consider asking a friend to monitor social and other media on your behalf and to keep you apprised of any developments or threats.
• Save screenshots of harassing or threatening social media posts to preserve as evidence in case the author deletes the original post.
• Be cautious about responding to threatening emails, tweets, blog comments, etc. In most cases, it will be in your best interest not to respond. Although responding may seem like the right thing to do, it may only provide harassers with additional material and serve to prolong social media harassment. The Office of Communications can help you determine whether and how to respond. If you choose not to respond, you may also want to encourage your friends and colleagues to do the same. Review "Addressing Online Harassment" (Appendix A).
• Protect your cyber-identity (e.g., cell phone, network access, social media). Contact the Hendrix Office of Technology Services for guidance.
• Consult with your academic unit administrator and your unit executive (dean/provost) for assistance in responding to the situation. Consider preparing a concise message to articulate your position in your own words and distribute it to colleagues as a form of reputation management. Should you get media requests related to the incident, the Office of Communications can be of assistance in deciding whether/how to respond.
• Reach out to friends and develop a support system. The Hendrix College Employee Assistance Program offers free confidential, short-term counseling to employees and their families.
• Know that you are not alone as an employee at an academic institution who has experienced this type of harassment. Several scholars have written about the coordinated and systemic patterns of attack against scholars and faculty and staff members. Connect with peers and professional organizations who have gone through similar situations to decrease your isolation and learn from their experience.
• Consult with your academic or campus administrator if you feel this attack has affected your progress toward tenure, promotion, or reappointment.

Academic Administrators

• Contact the employee as soon as you become aware of threatening or intimidating behavior against them. Meet with them to offer support in the initial days of the incident and review the "Employee Safety and Support Checklist" (Appendix B) to ensure the employee is aware of campus resources.
• Before all else, work with the employee to address their on-campus and off-campus safety and security concerns. Be aware that the employee's identity may influence their individualized needs (e.g., parental status, rank, sexual orientation, racial/ethnic or religious minority). Refer the employee to appropriate campus resources or, with the employee's consent, reach out to such resources as appropriate to address whatever issues the employee identifies.
• It is possible that social media and phone intimidation and harassment will be received by multiple offices. Inform other employees on a need-to-know basis. Ensure that staff members whose responsibilities may include answering harassing phone calls are supported and informed about strategies for being on the front line (e.g., a script or template response, instructions for preserving phone messages to aid future investigations). The Office of Communications can help with messaging.
• Stay in communication with the Provost's Office to ensure a coordinated response. Share details of the situation on a need-to-know basis and be mindful that all email communication may be subject to request via subpoena or other legal process.
• Consider the well-being of the rest of the unit faculty, staff, and students (e.g., co-authors, graduate assistants, front-line staff). Consult with the threatened employee about what and how to share information with the department. If possible, bring people together to discuss the situation, the department's actions, and available support resources.
• Facilitate the physical movement of assigned classrooms, offices, and/or workspaces if feasible, and if the affected employee requests it.
• Facilitate the removal of the employee's direct contact information from department and/or College webpages and the College directory, in collaboration with Human Resources, Communications, and Technology Services Offices, if the affected employee requests it.
• If the attacks are identity-based (e.g., harassment based on gender, race, sexual identity, country of origin), consult with the Title IX and Human Resources Offices to counsel the employee about their options and explore additional support and resources for the employee and others who share their identity (e.g., students, colleagues, staff).
• After addressing the employee's safety and security concerns, keep in mind the potential effect of this event on their professional career. For example, if their scholarship was attacked, discuss how or whether it will affect their future research trajectory. Connecting the employee with other peers who have experienced similar attacks may be useful to contextualize the events within their broader career goals and experiences.
• Discuss issues of academic freedom in regular forums (e.g., faculty meetings, student seminars), including attention to ways that external forces may attempt to silence scholars through social media attacks and the resources available to respond when or if attacks occur.
• If you become the target of harassment, consult with the Provost's Office, and refer to the strategies recommended for employees (above) to ensure your own safety.

Campus Administrators

Office of the Provost

• Establish open communication with the affected employee's academic or campus administrator and request updates, as needed, on the situation.
• Reach out to the targeted employee, reiterating the College's commitment to academic freedom, etc. as appropriate, and encouraging the employee to consult with their academic or campus administrator for support and assistance.
• Provide tools and training for academic and campus administrators to use when developing immediate and long-term response plans.
• In consultation with the Office of the President and Office of Communications, consider issuing a statement (as appropriate) asserting the importance of academic freedom and committing to the safety and well-being of the faculty. The statement should emphasize the College's mission and values rather than comment on the faculty member's scholarship. (Appendix C)

Office of the President

• Maintain consistent communication with academic and campus administrators and work together, as appropriate, to issue a campus message asserting the importance of free speech, academic freedom, and the safety of College employees.

Title IX Office

• Provide guidance and consultation to targeted individuals and units regarding issues of discrimination and harassment related to the situation.
• Investigate specific allegations of discrimination and harassment related to the situation and determine appropriate steps to address such actions in collaboration with other units.
• Provide resources and support to individuals and units as needed.
• Establish consistent communication with academic and campus administrators and consult on issuing a campus message of support, as appropriate.

Office for Diversity and Inclusion

• Provide resources and support to the individual employee and department when the attack includes personalized attacks on the employee's identity and/or diversity-related scholarship, service, or teaching.
• Coordinate or provide student support services, especially for students whose identities and/or interests are similar to those of the targeted employee.
• Establish consistent communication with academic and campus administrators and consult on issuing a statement of support, as appropriate.

Human Resources

• Provide support and assistance to the individual employees, academic and campus administration, and the broader unit via collaboration with the Offices of the President, Provost, Communications, Diversity and Inclusion, Title IX, and Employee Assistance Program. 

Communications Office

• Inform the academic or campus administrator if you become aware that an employee's name has shown up in a social media post that may contain threats or intimidating/harassing content. Keep the academic or campus administrator informed of ongoing mentions throughout the crisis management process.
• Provide support for the employee being targeted, including tips on if and how they should respond, managing their professional and personal reputation, and reviewing Addressing Online Harassment (Appendix A). Discuss all media inquiries with the employee.
• Work with the academic and campus administrators to coordinate information sharing on a need-to-know basis and to coordinate a consistent message (e.g., phone scripts for frontline staff answering aggressive callers).
• Consult with faculty, staff, and administrators about the potential impact of speaking with the media. Have employees, including academic and campus administrators, refer media inquiries to the College's Communications Office.
• Assist the academic or campus administrator with crafting a leadership message that defends academic freedom, emphasizes College values, and addresses potential concerns of multiple constituents (e.g., faculty, alumni, donors, students).

The following offices are available to assist during crisis and provide longer-term guidance and programs.

Human Resources

Human Resources can assist you with finding resources as well as knowing the laws and College policies about workplace violence. Contact Human Resources at 501.450.1494 or hr@hendrix.edu .

Public Safety

During normal hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.), call Public Safety at 501.450.1348 or from a campus phone simply dial 1348. After hours, call 501.450.7711 or dial 7711 from a campus phone. In an emergency, dial 911.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

This program is a confidential and consultative employee and family resource as a first line of defense for personal or work-related concerns for you or your family. Visit www.guidanceresources.com (Web ID: SYMETRA) or call 1.888.327.9573 or 1.800.697.0353. When talking on the phone, mention Symetra as your employer sponsor.

Office of the Provost

Contact Lezli Smith, Administrative Assistant for Academic Affairs, at 501.450.1273 or smithl2@hendrix.edu .

Title IX 

Contact Jennifer Fulbright, Title IX Coordinator, Investigator, and Education Coordinator at 501.505.2901 or fulbright@hendrix.edu .

Communications

Contact Rob O'Connor at oconnor@hendrix.edu or 501.450.1225 or Amy Forbus at forbus@hendrix.edu or 501.450.1462.

According to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, 41 percent of adults report being the subject of harassing behavior online, and 66 percent have witnessed harassing behavior directed at others. Responding to online harassment can be challenging, even scary if the harassment becomes threatening.

The Office of Communications recommends the following options.

Ignore - While the goal of social media agitators (commonly called trolls) is to elicit a response or engage in an online dialogue, even the most persistent trolls typically move on if you ignore them long enough.

Block - Most social media platforms allow you to selectively prevent others from following you, seeing your posts, or commenting on your content. Know that when you block someone, they are typically notified and may choose to criticize you on their own channels.

Correct - If someone is sharing misinformation about you or your work, consider sharing a brief response to correct the misinformation. While it will likely result in additional posts from the harassing party, it does provide an opportunity to set the record straight. Contact the Office of Communications to discuss whether a response is the best avenue. 

Record and report - If you feel threatened, contact the proper authorities and keep a record of the hostile or threatening posts. Take and save screenshots in case you need to file a police report or take legal action.

For more questions concerning your social media harassment experience, contact Rob O'Connor at oconnor@hendrix.edu or 501.450.1225 or Amy Forbus at forbus@hendrix.edu or 501.450.1462.

* These resources were adapted from the University of Iowa and Pennsylvania State University and modified for use by Hendrix College.

This checklist helps academic and campus administrators to address possible concerns and provide resources in the immediate and longer-term aftermath of a crisis in which employees are targeted for their ideas or views. The academic or campus administrator may use this checklist when meeting with the employee to gather information and create a safety plan. It may be useful to capture as much information as possible during these interactions in order to limit the number of times the employee has to retell the story. If it is not possible for the academic or campus administrator to engage in this type of meeting, please refer the employee to Human Resources for follow-up.

• What is the nature of the harassment?
• When did it begin?
• How has it changed since it began?
• In what environment(s) is the harassment occurring (e.g., email, social media, classroom, office, home, campus phone voice messages, on-campus stalking, media requests, harassment of family members/children, other)
• Is the harasser someone who is known or been identified? If so, please provide that information. 
• What is the employee's greatest concern?

* These resources were adapted from the University of Iowa and Pennsylvania State University and modified for use by Hendrix College.

Academic and campus administrators may be asked about sending a campus message or developing an institutional statement to address topical issues, including those that are related to social media harassment.

Consider the following questions when deciding whether a campus message or institutional statement is an appropriate response.

Should we make a statement?*

• Is the safety or well-being of our community at risk?  
• Is the College's reputation at risk?  
• Is there a disruption to normal business operations?  
• Examine and ensure purpose and alignment with the College's values and core mission.  
• How does this situation relate to past or current issues or statements at the College?  
• How do education and research play a role in the issue/solutions?  
• If we make a statement, will that stifle the free expression of our faculty or students? 

*From Michael Hemesath, president of Saint John's University, in Collegeville, Minn. Adapted from the Chronicle of Higher Education article 3.19.17https://www.chronicle.com/article/speak-for-my-university-its-complicated/  

This 7.26.22 Chronicle of Higher Education article discusses the challenges institutional leaders face when considering making statements on issues:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-silent-treatment

Hendrix College is committed to academic freedom, civic participation, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech. These values are reflected in the College's Statement of Purpose:

"Hendrix College cultivates empathy, creativity, self-understanding, rigorous inquiry, informed deliberation, and active learning across the liberal arts, toward the development of the whole person. Through engagement that links the classroom with the world, and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice, and sustainable living, the Hendrix community inspires students to lead lives of accomplishment, integrity, service, and joy."

Approved by the Hendrix College faculty and Board of Trustees in spring 2015

This article describes the University of Chicago's efforts to support free expression on campus:

https://mag.uchicago.edu/university-news/opening-inquiry

This link describes the University of Chicago's expectation for civil behavior and includes a link to a report on the Committee on Freedom of Expression.

https://studentmanual.uchicago.edu/university-policies/civil-behavior-in-a-university-setting