Regents Unlikely To Suspend Social Media Policy

The chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents says the board is unlikely to suspend a controversial new policy on social media use by university faculty and staff.

Chairman Fred Logan said Wednesday the policy likely would stay in place while a group of university representatives study its implications.

The regents received a resolution from faculty senate presidents at Kansas universities asking that the policy be suspended until the group completes its work.

The policy allows university administrators to discipline employees, including firing them, for improper use of social media. It was approved in December after a University of Kansas professor tweeted criticism of the National Rifle Association.

Opponents have argued the policy is too vague and restricts free speech rights of university staff and faculty.

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.