CODE OF CONDUCT
June 6-8 2022
We expect all
symposium
attendees to communicate openly with respect and consideration for
others,
valuing a diversity of views and opinions. By attending the Winter
Biology
virtual symposium, all attendees are assumed to agree to abide by the
following
code of conduct.
Presentation ethics
and
respecting intellectual property
All authors
associated with a
presentation must agree on all information contained in the
presentation.
Attendees are expected to not fabricate, falsify, or suppress results,
deliberately misrepresent research findings, or otherwise commit
scientific
fraud.
Presenters and
attendees
cannot screenshot, capture, or otherwise share images or presentation
data
without a presenter’s expressed written permission. Presentations should
be
considered privileged and should not be shared outside the virtual
platform.
General
Behaviour
We want this
symposium (and
winter biology writ large) to be a positive, safe, hospitable, and
productive
environment for everyone, regardless of age, gender identity or
expression,
race, ethnicity, colour, cultural background, religion, place of origin,
pregnancy or parental role, sexual orientation, ability, or
socio-economic
situation. A community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is
neither
healthy nor productive.
Expected Behaviours
- Behave in a courteous and professional
manner.
- Treat all participants, attendees,
meeting
management, and vendors with respect, dignity, and consideration, in
the spirit
of valuing a diversity of views and opinions.
- Be considerate, respectful, and
collaborative
in your communication and actions.
- Communicate with respect for others,
critiquing
ideas rather than individuals in a non-confrontational manner with due
regard
for the viewpoints of others.
- Avoid personal attacks directed toward
other
attendees and participants, in any context associated with the
symposium.
- Refrain from demeaning,
discriminatory, or
harassing behavior and speech in social events and Q&A periods.
- Speak up, intervene, or alert one of
the
organisers if you observe unacceptable behavior.
Unacceptable
Behaviours
The following
behaviors will
not be tolerated:
- Harassment, sexual harassment,
bullying, intimidation,
or discrimination in any form. Harassment is defined as unwelcome or
offensive
verbal, visual, or physical contact directed at any participant,
including
conduct, comments, or images that a person would reasonably find
offensive,
demeaning, discriminatory, or hostile. Sexual harassment includes
unwelcome,
unsolicited, and unreciprocated sexual advances, including online.
Behavior
that is acceptable to one person may not be acceptable to another, so
use
discretion to be sure respect is communicated. Harassment
intended in a
joking manner still constitutes unacceptable behavior. Regardless of
your
intent, if you are advised directly or by another party that some
aspect of
your speech or behavior is harassment, you are expected to stop
engaging in
such speech or behavior immediately.
- Inappropriate use of nudity, sexual
images,
and/or discriminatory images in public spaces or in presentations.
- Written, or verbal abuse of any
participant.
- Discriminatory conduct related to age,
physical
appearance, body size, employment or military status, ethnicity,
gender
identity and expression, individual lifestyle, marital status,
national origin,
physical or cognitive ability, political affiliation, sexual
orientation, race,
religion, culture, or any other characteristic.
- Deliberate intimidation, threatening,
or
stalking, including online.
- Personal use of photographs or posts
to social
media of another individual’s oral presentation, poster, or likeness
when
permission is specifically denied by the individual.
- Behavior that is unruly or disruptive.
- Retaliation against participants for
reporting
activity that they reasonably believed to be in violation of this
Code.
- Knowingly and falsely reporting
violations of
this Code.
This Code of Conduct
is not
intended to be all inclusive, and it is likely there will be conduct
issues
that it does not specifically address. In that event, as in all others,
participants are expected to follow the direction of the organisers, who
will
take appropriate action to ensure the safety, security, comfort, and
well-being
of participants.
Consequences
Participants asked to
stop any
harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.
The organisers
reserve the
right to reprimand or exclude from events any individual who breaches
the code
of conduct. Severe ethical or harassment breaches will be reported to
the
offending individual’s institution.
Reporting
Unacceptable
Behaviour
- If you are the subject of unacceptable
behavior
or have witnessed any such behavior, please immediately one or more of
the
organisers (Steven Cooke: steven.cooke@carleton.ca
; Sapna Sharma:
sharma11@yorku.ca ; Brent
Sinclair: bsincla7@uwo.ca;
Pamela Templer: ptempler@bu.edu).
Reporting should never be made via
social media.
- After receiving a report of
inappropriate
behavior, the organisers will assess the report and work with the
complainant
to determine the most appropriate response.
- The organisers will investigate all
reports
with discretion and are committed to protecting the privacy of all
individuals
involved in the incident to the greatest extent possible. Participants
are
required to maintain the confidentiality of materials submitted or
received
under this Code of Conduct. The organisers will make reasonable
efforts to
maintain the confidentiality of relevant materials but may disclose
case-related materials or information in response to legal process,
when
already publicly known, or when disclosure is otherwise in the best
interests
of the winter biology community.
This code of
conduct is
modified with permission from those used by the Canadian Society of
Zoologists
and the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting.
