PSETI Symposium – Code of Conduct

This document has been heavily inspired by that of the 2021 Assembly of the Order of the Octopus, which was inspired by the VPLanet Code of Conduct, the AGU Meeting Code of Conduct, and the AAS Code of Ethics.

Last updated April 20, 2022.

We envision the PSETI Symposium as a welcoming and inclusive community for all participants. Our community consists of a diversity of participants on the axes of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, age, physical appearance, body size, race, color, immigration status, family status, culture, religion, social and economic class, educational level, and national origin.

To realize this vision, all participants attending the PSETI Symposium must adhere to the following Code of Conduct. This Code of Conduct applies to all conference events, including written media (i.e., posters and slides), verbal interactions, discussions on text-based forums (e.g., email), and social events held before and after the primary sessions. Failure to adhere to this code will lead to a loss of privileges within the conference and/or future conferences.

I. Guidelines for Expected Behavior

All participants must:

1. 1. Treat others with respect, empathy, and kindness. This is especially relevant in cases of power differentials (e.g. when you are interacting with participants who are less privileged than you in their academic rank or along other axes) and when having scientific disagreeing dialogue.
   2. Be mindful of the space you are taking up. Value others’ time both when you are in the speaking role, e.g., in your talk and poster presentations, as well as in more informal venues such as the poster hall. Be mindful of the amount of time that you spend talking in group discussions and the amount of questions that you ask, to allow all participants to contribute to the conversation. 

• Respect rules on the distribution of conference materials. The majority of talks and panels at this conference will be recorded and many talk slides and posters will be publicly-available after the conference via Zenodo and the PSETI website. However, if a presenter states that material in their presentation is unpublished or embargoed and wishes that material to remain confidential, you must respect that confidentiality by refraining from taking photographs or recordings, or mentioning the material in public forums (including social media).

II. Unacceptable Behavior

Participants must not:

• Engage in harassment, doxxing, bullying, intimidation, discrimination, or retaliation. These forms of abuse include, though are not limited to: 

• verbal or written comments or jokes related to any demographic characteristic, including those listed in the introduction to this document

• inappropriate use of nudity and/or violent or sexual images in public spaces or in presentations

• threatening or stalking

• behavior that could be perceived as sexual attention

• posting, or threatening to post, people’s personally identifying information

1. Promote the work of those who have violated Professional Codes of Ethics (e.g., the AAS Code of Ethics). Promotion of an author’s work includes any verbal or visual presentation including that person’s name or likeness. In cases where the participant’s work is sufficiently scientifically-independent from that of the person who has violated the professional code, the work may be presented so long as the presenter is not engaging in promotion. Citations are not violations of this policy, though all participants should weigh the necessity of presenting that citation with the harm that it could perpetuate.

III. Consequences for Code of Conduct Violations

All Code of Conduct violations will result in immediate disciplinary consequences administered via the Local and Scientific Organizing Committees. All Organizing Committee members have committed to following this Code of Conduct. However, if an Organizing Committee member is involved in the violation, they will not be included in the review process.

In less severe cases (e.g., cases where a participant has not followed the Guidelines for Expected Behavior), we will promote constructive resolution and correction where possible, including accepting responsibility for their actions, apologizing to those affected by their mistakes, and learning from the experience. 

However, for repeated or more severe violations, especially for participants who have engaged in Unacceptable Behavior, sanctions will be levied based on the severity of the violation, and include, but are not limited to, the removal of presenting privileges, removal of access to online forums, expulsion from the meeting, and/or bans from future conferences and assemblies.

Anyone informed that they are committing a Code of Conduct violation is expected to comply immediately, regardless of the severity of the offense.

IV. Reporting Code of Conduct Violations

If you witness Code of Conduct violations, please report these incidents. Incidents may be reported to any Organizing Committee member via text-based message forums (e.g., email or Slack). You may also use this form to anonymously report Code of Conduct violations. This form will be monitored throughout the conference, and any reports will be handled by the conference organizing committees as quickly as possible.