Professors Want Social Media Plan Suspended

More than 80 professors in Kansas are asking the Board of Regents to suspend a new social media policy.

The University of Kansas and Kansas State University professors signed a letter to the regents, expressing “continued concern” about the policy. They say the policy prevents faculty and staff at the state’s universities from exercising their freedom of speech.

The regents are reviewing the policy, which they passed in December. The regents approved the measure unanimously in the wake of a tweet by University of Kansas journalism professor David Guth after the September shootings that left 13 dead at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.

The professors want the policy suspended while that review proceeds.

The policy authorizes university administrators to fire employees for social media posts that conflict with the best interests of the university or its ability to efficiently provide services, among other violations.

Associated Press information from: Lawrence Journal-World