The IA conference (IAC) is committed to providing a welcoming and harassment-free experience for all participants.
You are our community. IAC would not exist without you, your support, and your candor.
Conference organizers, volunteers, speakers, sponsors, and attendees agree to the following Code of Conduct for all interactions during the conference, including, but not limited to: in-person or online conference sessions, in-person or online conference Q&A, in-person or online workshops, on virtual conference platforms and tools (e.g. Discord), on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) used for, and after the conference, and all other online platforms that allow interaction.
- Be respectful of all participants. Seek to understand and show respect for the boundaries of your fellow attendees, speakers, sponsors, venue staff, and volunteers.
- Act as members of a community and support others. Should you see someone who appears uncomfortable because of the actions or words of another, speak up or offer to connect them to an IAC volunteer or staff member.
- Refrain from any and all forms of harassment, through speech or actions. Do not make any insulting or demeaning comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical ability, personal appearance, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, or belief.
- Do not make threatening statements to others.
- Do not incite others to make harassing statements.
- Harassing actions include, but are not limited to: deliberate intimidation, stalking, recording of people who have indicated they do not want to be recorded (this includes attendees who would prefer their comments kept within the IAC and not publicly posted on social media), purposeful disruption of talks online or in person, inappropriate and/or unwanted chatting or publishing memes, use of sexual or discriminatory imagery, inappropriate comments or jokes, and unwelcome contact.
- Avoid making false statements or false reports.
- If someone declines to speak with you, cease attempting to communicate with them unless welcomed at a later time.
- Avoid offensive imagery and explicit content. Sexualized or vulgar imagery is not appropriate for this conference, be it virtual or in-person. Participants should not use sexual language or imagery on any conference communication channel. Consider meme content before posting. Evaluate if the content is based on stereotypes and/or sexist/racist content, or may be perceived as offensive by people who may not understand the context of the post.
- Speakers’ whose talks contain potentially traumatic content (regarding abuse, assault, death, war, mental health crises, etc.) that is pertinent to illustrating a key point of the talk, must include warnings prior to the content being shared, and inform the IAC staff prior to the session. . The IAC leadership will endeavor to develop a thoughtful and inclusive determination of content requiring warnings and will post additional warnings as appropriate.
- Do not misrepresent yourself or others when operating in-person or virtual environments. Participants should not misrepresent their identity, particularly in virtual environments. If you are not using your ‘real name’, make it possible for other participants to identify who you are (e.g., a Discord member name such as “Nickname (First Last)”. Similarly, participants should take care not to misrepresent others, even in jest, in public messages, posts, or comments.
IAC deeply values and is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment to its community of attendees, partners, and volunteers. We are dedicated to the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), sex, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin (ancestry), mental or physical ability, military status, civil union, or genetic information, in all of its activities, operations, or events.
Need help?
If you feel that someone has harassed you or otherwise treated you inappropriately, or if you witnessed someone being harassed or treated inappropriately, please alert any member of the IAC team. You can alert team members (identified as “Staff”, “Co-chairs”, and/or those identified as “Safety”) through chosen online media (details to be given before IAC starts). You can also send an email to codeofconduct@theiaconference.com or file an IAC Safety Issue Report.
Event staff will be happy to help participants contact safety personnel and assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.
What are the consequences?
Anyone asked to stop harassing or offensive behavior is expected to comply immediately. Respect someone else’s “no” and “stop.”
If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the co-chairs and staff may take actions they deem appropriate, including but not limited to, warning the offender or revoking the offender’s IAC credentials with no refund.
We expect participants to follow these rules at all IAC-related events and gatherings.
This Code of Conduct was last updated on September 18, 2022. It is a living document, and will be updated regularly.
