To the editor:

I offer a hypothetical case illustrating the danger and absurdity of the Kansas Board of Regents’ social media policy.

Imagine an athletic coach physically and verbally abusing a player on campus, an apparent violation of the university code. The university administration, learning of the incident, decides it is better public relations to buy out the contract of the coach, for multi-millions, rather than bringing charges against him.

A faculty member passing by records the assault on a smart phone.Disappointed that the coach receives a multi-million-dollar payoff without facing charges, posts the video on You Tube. It goes viral; the public is shocked by the coach’s abuse of a student/athlete.

A possible outcome under the new social media rule: While the university pays off the coach, it fires the faculty member for posting the video on social media because the video is considered “contrary to the best interest of the university” and “discredits the university.”

Moral: It is OK to assault a student on campus, but you could be fired were you to post the incident on social media.