Griffin Hatten | Staff Writer

With social media becoming an even bigger part of society and our everyday life, it’s tough to ignore its role on campuses across the country. This can be especially true in sports where athletes across the country are known for their tweets. There are rules and regulations across the country for professional sports leagues and organizations. What does Buena Vista University (BVU) have in regards to student-athletes using social media?

When talking with Sports Information Director Steven Phelps, he commented that despite being Facebook “friends” with a student or coach on campus or even a “follower” of his/her Twitter account, he does not monitor or concern himself over the content of those pages. He acknowledges that sometimes inappropriate behavior is posted on these sites, but it is up to the coach to monitor their own teams’ social media accounts.

BVU does not have any policies in place regulating student-athlete behavior on social media sites. This is left up to individual coaches. For instance, Buena Vista Baseball Head Coach Steve Eddie is a “follower” of many of the team’s players’ accounts on Twitter. No specific rules are in place for the baseball team in regards to behavior or posts on these sites. However, sticking by the team’s basic rule of “be a good teammate” on these sites moderates itself. Some coaches on campus have different policies in place for the team to censor content such as no posting negative comments about the team or school and no pictures with alcohol or drugs.

A “hands off” approach by a coach may the best way to ensure a team’s reputation and appropriateness on these sites. If rules become overly prodigious in size, it’s possible that student-athletes may become leery about expressing himself/herself. This could especially affect team pride and joy if censorship becomes overbearing. Overall, if each individual simply takes responsibility, there should be a great feeling of insouciance for all teams.

Graphic by Keyla Sosa