Code of conduct
Introduction
The organisers are committed to making this conference productive and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, nationality or religion. We will not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. As part of the registration process, attendees are required to agree to adhere to this code of conduct
Code of Conduct
Behave professionally. Harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary comments or jokes are not appropriate. Harassment includes sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, sexual attention or innuendo, deliberate intimidation, stalking, and photography or recording of an individual without consent. It also includes offensive or belittling comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity or religion. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees. For any conference hosted on an Imperial College campus, organisers are reminded that, although the College is a public space, Imperial holds the right to remove any person who does not adhere to the code of conduct. Incident reporting and resolution: If you observe someone making you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please tell them so, and remind them of the Code of Conduct. If you are hesitant about addressing the person yourself, report it as soon as possible to a member of the Organising Committee - see contact information below. The Committee is committed to addressing and resolving the matter to the best of their abilities. Please use the following contact information, and explain what happened and who was involved so that we can investigate.
Thank you for your participation in the community, and your efforts to keep our conference welcoming, respectful, and friendly for all participants!
Note: The designated point(s) of contact for complaints should be chosen and advertised (and known to all staff helping to run the conference). There should also be a clear pathway for escalation of the complaint; e.g. an agreement that the Organising committee will meet within 2 hours and decide a course of action (e.g. ejection of a participant or the gathering of more information). The committee should be clear on their rights to eject any participant not adhering to the code of conduct, before the conference begins. The complainant should be asked what mechanisms they need in order to safely continue at the conference, for example an escort to venues. The organisers should have a pathway to support any complaint, for example a list of support services such as Rape Crisis.
Sanctions
When someone is asked to stop any behaviour that makes others uncomfortable, they are expected to comply immediately. In response to inappropriate behaviour (e.g. sexual content, rudeness, unprofessional) organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the person in question, asking them to leave the event, or removing them from a mailing list. Specific actions may include but are not limited to:
• asking the person to cease the inappropriate behaviour, and warning them that any further reports will
result in other sanctions
• requiring that the person avoid any interaction with, and physical proximity to, another person for the
remainder of the event
• early termination of a talk that violates the policy
• not publishing the video or slides of a talk that violates the policy
• not allowing a speaker who violated the policy to give (further) talks at the event
• immediately ending any event responsibilities or privileges held
• requiring that the person immediately leave the event and not return
• blocking the person on social media platforms (for a defined time period)
• banning the person from future events (for a defined time period)
• publishing an anonymous account of the harassment
• reporting the incident to the person’s employer