GCSAA's online discussion forums are provided as a service of GCSAA and are intended to provide GCSAA members the opportunity to communicate with their peers. As such, all discussion forums and chat areas will be restricted to association members only.

GCSAA accepts no responsibility for the opinions and information posted on this site by others. GCSAA disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted on this site, whether posted by GCSAA or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness.

In no event shall GCSAA be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted on this site.

The following are the established guidelines for communication and management of GCSAA's online forum services:

General content guidelines

As GCSAA is a professional association, members should participate in discussions in an appropriate manner. In short, participants must be respectful, honest, focused and professional. Members must not post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, derogatory (in terms of ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion) or illegal information or materials.

Content (including links and images) that is sexual or explicit in nature will be removed. Additionally, members should maintain the integrity of discussions by posting only responses relating to the initial discussion topic or a subsequent response arising through the conversation. Off-topic posts will either be removed or moved to a more appropriate location if the topic warrants.

Commercial Information

Members must not post any excessively commercial information or materials. Commercial information is considered acceptable only if it is posted in response to a member's message and does not compare one product with another.

In addition, messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement which either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's business, or other conduct which is intended to restrict free trade.

Anonymous postings

If a member would like to share sensitive information, but believes that it may result in personal or professional consequences if his/her name is revealed, the member may contact the GCSAA Senior Manager of Member Relations, who will make the determination to post the message for the member.

Copyright guidelines

Members also must not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that it owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner.

In addition, content from these forums may not be reproduced, published or otherwise widely disseminated, by GCSAA or any other third party, without the express permission of the individual author(s) involved.

Employment postings

In addition, because the association has set in place procedures to protect members from unethical position announcements, GCSAA's discussion forums may not be used to post employment advertisements of any kind. 

If you wish to advertise an available position, please use the online GCSAA Job Board or contact the professional development and career assistance group for more information. Internship advertisements are free of charge, and can be posted by filling out the Student Intern Request form. If you are seeking a position, you may wish to search the online GCSAA Job Board.

Inappropriate postings/Member flagging

GCSAA does not actively monitor the site for inappropriate postings, and does not on its own undertake editorial control of postings. However, in the event that any questionable discussion forum posting is brought to GCSAA's attention it will be evaluated according to the guidelines noted above.

Members may request an evaluation of the appropriateness of a post through the “flagging” process. If a member believes a post is inappropriate, they can utilize the button for reporting posts next to the post to be reported. 

Clicking this will walk the user through the steps necessary to report the post. GCSAA staff will review the posting and determine a course of action. The posting may be removed, moved to a more appropriate location or may be allowed to remain on the board. If a user continues to post inappropriate materials or if the circumstances warrant, GCSAA may also decide to revoke access privileges to the forums.

The GCSAA Member Relations Committee will oversee the GCSAA Universal Appeals process for any member wishing to appeal the determination of their materials or information as inappropriate. If a member wishes to begin the appeal process, the member should submit a written request via email or USPS to the following:

By email: Shelia Finney, senior director, member programs
By mail: GCSAA
Attn: Senior Director, Member Programs
1421 Research Park Drive
Lawrence, KS 66049

Member accountability

Members are accountable for all activities and postings made by individuals gaining access to Members Only features of the Web site using their username and password, or registering for access with their member number.

Staff involvement

GCSAA staff members will not participate in the discussion forums or chat rooms. However, when appropriate, certain staff members may post messages to:

• Respond to procedural questions. 
• Provide factual information that clarifies or enhances existing discussions. 
• Seek information needed to conduct association business. 
• Generate discussion on GCSAA programs and services.

Staff members will not respond to postings that require discussion or interpretation of GCSAA policies or that are outside of their areas of responsibility. In these cases, staff members will work with the appropriate parties to post a response.

New discussion forums and formats

New discussion forums and formats will be added when member registration and activity on existing sites warrants it, and such services can be offered in a cost-effective manner.

GCSAA reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.