ClubConnect was built from the ground up to empower the GITAM student community to create, connect, and thrive. To ensure a safe, standard, and highly valuable experience for all students across all campuses, we strictly enforce these community guidelines.
By accessing or using the ClubConnect platform, whether as a student exploring clubs or an executive managing a club portal, you agree to abide by these guidelines in their entirety.
Zero-Tolerance Policy
We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy for the following infractions:
- Hate speech or targeted discrimination.
- Severe harassment, doxxing, or stalking.
- Selling or distributing academic dishonesty materials (e.g., test banks, cheating services).
Violations of this magnitude will result in immediate, permanent account termination and potential referral to university disciplinary boards.
1. Respect & Inclusion
GITAM is a diverse community representing countless disciplines, backgrounds, beliefs, and identities. We expect all interactions on ClubConnect to reflect the university's core values of mutual respect and inclusion.
- No Discriminatory Language: Do not engage in hate speech, slurs, or discrimination against any group or individual.
- No Harassment: Bullying, stalking, intimidation, and personal attacks are strictly prohibited across all forums, event comments, and direct messages.
- Constructive Discussions: Keep comments and forum posts professional and relevant to the club or event topic. Disagreements are natural, but they must remain civil.
2. Quality & Integrity of Content
The value of the ClubConnect directory relies entirely on accurate, high-quality, and up-to-date information. Spam and low-effort posts clutter the platform and ruin the experience for finding events.
- No Spam or Flooding: Avoid creating duplicate events, low-effort club listings, or repeatedly posting the same promotional message in forums.
- Accurate Categorization: Use appropriate tags, categories, and target audiences for your activities to maintain directory integrity. Do not tag an event as "CS/Tech" if it is purely a generic social gathering.
- Commercial Restrictions: Do not use the platform to sell illegal goods, academic dishonesty services, or unrelated commercial products. Club funding initiatives and official ticket sales are permitted.
- Media Standards: Ensure all uploaded images, banners, and logos are appropriate for a university setting. Graphic, sexually explicit, or overly violent imagery will be removed.
3. Club Leadership Responsibilities
As a club leader or executive with administrative access to a Club Portal, you represent your organization and GITAM University on this platform. You are held to a higher standard of accountability.
- Maintain Accuracy: Keep your club's description, executive roster, and contact information up-to-date. Dead links or inactive portals reflect poorly on the platform.
- Event Integrity: Do not post misleading information regarding events, recruitment drives, deadlines, or external partnerships.
- Member Data Privacy: If your club collects RSVPs or member details through platform forms, respect the privacy of your members. Handle their data securely and do not export or share it with third parties without explicit consent.
- Brand Compliance: Ensure all uploaded content complies with university branding guidelines and general copyright laws.
Platform Capabilities vs. Official Channels
While ClubConnect provides powerful tools for event management and club discovery, it is currently in Beta. Always verify critical official circulars, exam dates, or university-wide announcements through standard GITAM channels (e.g., official email, G-Learn).
4. Intellectual Property
Respect the intellectual property rights of others. This applies to club logos, event posters, code snippets shared in technical clubs, and written content.
- Do not upload content that infringes upon copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights.
- When sharing resources, properly attribute the original creators.
- ClubConnect reserves the right to remove alleged infringing content in accordance with standard DMCA procedures.
5. Enforcement & Moderation
The ClubConnect Trust & Safety administration team utilizes a combination of automated systems, user reports, and manual reviews to enforce these rules. We reserve the right to moderate content at our discretion to maintain a safe environment.
Enforcement actions may include, but are not limited to:
- Formal warnings issued to the user's registered email.
- Temporary suspension of publishing privileges (e.g., inability to create events).
- Removal or un-publishing of offending content, events, or entire club profiles.
- Permanent bans from the platform for severe or repeated violations.