The ACH 2019 conference will be governed by the ADHO Conference Code of Conduct.
ACH2019 is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone regardless of gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, origin, or religion. By attending ACH2019 events, you signal your commitment to contributing to a safe and inclusive experience for all. We do not tolerate harassment of event participants in any form at any venue being used by the conference. This includes special event spaces, “night out” spaces, and informal gatherings of conference participants. Participants in ACH2019 violating these rules may be expelled from conference activities at the discretion of the organizers.
Harassment includes but is not limited to: derogatory verbal comments; sexist, racist, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language; sexual and/or discriminatory images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; questioning someone’s right to use the restroom of their choice; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the conference.
Please know that we believe you. All code of conduct violations will be treated seriously. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, we ask that you contact a member of the ACH2019 staff immediately to file a report. As social media moves rapidly, we ask that a formal report be provided in addition to any issues discussed through social media to ensure that we receive all the pertinent information. ACH2019 staff can be identified by their name badges and can always be reached by email at conduct@ach.org. To report a violation at any time during the conference, please contact Roopika Risam, ACH2019 Program Committee Co-Chair, at (267) 990-6166 or please contact Tara O’Connor, Associate Legal Counsel, University of Pittsburgh, at 412-624-5871. Tara works for the University of Pittsburgh and is unaffiliated with ACH or the ACH2019 conference.
All reports will be kept confidential to the extent possible governed by applicable state laws. In some cases we may determine that a public statement will need to be made. If that proves to be the case, the identities of all victims and reporters will remain confidential unless those individuals instruct us otherwise.
If you believe anyone is in physical danger, please call 911 or notify appropriate law enforcement first. If you are unsure what law enforcement agency to contact, please include this in your report and we will attempt to notify them.
In your report please include:
You will receive immediate acknowledgement of receipt of your complaint within an hour of your formal report during the conference event itself. All reports received after the conference will be acknowledged within 24 hours. We promise to acknowledge receipt and initiate a meeting of the appropriate individuals. For ACH2019, this will include the conference co-chairs Roopika Risam, Alison Langmead, Matt Gold, and Jennifer Guiliano.
The ACH 2019 organizers will immediately confer with one another to review the incident and determine:
If this is determined to be an ongoing incident or a threat to physical safety, the organizers’ immediate priority will be to protect everyone involved. This can include removing individuals from conference venues, asking for individual meetings with individuals making the report and individuals involved in the incident, and/or requesting assistance from legal authorities. This means we may delay an “official” response until we believe that the situation has ended and that everyone is physically safe.
Once the organizers have a complete account of the events they will make a decision as to how to respond. Responses may include but are not limited to:
We will attempt to respond as speedily as possible with the goal of resolving all complaints. Within 24 hours, we will seek to document either a resolution or an explanation of why the situation is not yet resolved to the individual reporting. Once we’ve determined our final action, we will contact the original individuals involved in reporting the incident to let them know what action (if any) we will be taking. We will take into account any feedback we receive from the reporter of the incident on the appropriateness of our response, but we do not guarantee we will act on it.
We value your attendance.
Signed,
Roopika Risam, Alison Langmead, Matt Gold, and Jennifer Guiliano
Co-chairs, ACH 2019
This statement of values inspired by: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Conference_anti-harassment and the codes of conduct and statement of values published by the Django Software Foundation, the Digital Library Federation, and HILT. Adapted from the Django Software Foundation guidelines