AIMOS code of conduct

Summary

AIMOS is committed to providing a friendly, safe, and supportive environment for all conference attendees and participants for the sake of the general conference experience, but particularly to support the inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups.  

We want you to know that this community is safe and welcoming for all, regardless of your sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion or other group identity. This code of conduct outlines AIMOS’s expectations for all conference attendees, including those who are present in person and those engaging virtually with official AIMOS fora. In ensuring we are providing a safe and welcoming environment, we expect cooperation from all participants and organizers and will actively enforce this code. Violations are taken seriously.

We prioritize marginalized people's safety over privileged people's comfort.

Expected Behaviour

AIMOS aims to cultivate a community with shared values, where people are comfortable exploring ideas, asking questions, and saying things like "I don't understand" or "why". We expect physical and virtual participants to communicate professionally and constructively. This means:

  • Treating all physical and virtual participants with kindness, respect and consideration;

  • Being open to alternative points of view;

  • Handling dissent or disagreement with courtesy;

  • Avoiding sensitive topics (e.g. sex, war, abuse, racism) unless specifically relevant to the research being discussed and providing warnings of this content in advance;

  • Contacting the conference organisers if your presentation relates to sensitive topics. They will work with you to ensure that the audience is prepared for the content (click here for more information);

  • Respecting the rules and policies of the conference venues;

  • Consuming alcoholic beverages responsibly at networking events;

  • Taking steps to minimise risks (including alerting AIMOS representatives) of any dangerous situations, unacceptable behaviour or people in distress;

  • Appropriately referencing AIMOS2022 content shared outside the conference;

  • Appropriately referencing materials used in presentations.

Social Media Policy

Images, talks, workshops, hackathons and unconferences may be shared publicly through social media unless the presenter explicitly requests otherwise. To avoid confusion, presenters should clearly mark content that they would prefer that people not share.

Unacceptable Behaviour

AIMOS does not tolerate harassment at its conference, either in person or virtually. This includes, but is not limited to, any harassment in-person at the conference, written in any official AIMOS fora, and posted on social media that includes @aimos_inc or #AIMOS2022 in the post.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to, offensive verbal or written comments, and negative behaviour, either in real or virtual space.

Examples of harassment include (but are not limited to):

  • Making comments, to an audience or personally, that belittle or demean another person

  • Physical or verbal abuse of any participant

  • Unwelcome or offensive verbal comments or exclusionary behaviour

  • Unconsenting physical contact

  • Unwanted sexual attention

  • Deliberate "outing" of any aspect of a person's identity without their consent except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from intentional abuse

  • Deliberate misgendering or use of "dead" or rejected names

  • Publication of non-harassing private communication

  • Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease

  • Use of sexual or discriminatory images in public spaces or in presentations

  • Intimidation, stalking, or following of participants

  • Photography or recording without consent

  • Sustained disruption of talks or other events

  • Retaliation for reporting behaviour under the code of conduct

  • Encouraging any of the above behaviour

Immediate serious threat to public safety

Anyone experiencing or witnessing an immediate or serious threat to safety should immediately contact appropriate law enforcement and then notify an AIMOS representative.

Consequences

On receiving a report of unacceptable behaviour, the AIMOS diversity and inclusion sub-committee will review the case and with consultation with relevant parties determine an appropriate course of action to ensure the safety of the community. Where the committee finds that someone has breached the code of conduct, AIMOS may take  actions regarding the offender, including: 

  • Warning them and asking them to stop the behaviour immediately

  • Instructing them to retract offensive written content 

  • Expelling them from the AIMOS conference and related social events with no refund

  • Banning them from future AIMOS events and activities

  • Reporting criminal behaviour to local law enforcement

Reporting

If you have any concerns about an individual’s conduct please fill in this form. If you are unsure of how to proceed, please contact any member of the AIMOS diversity and inclusion sub-committee or the event organisers.

All concerns will be reviewed by the AIMOS diversity and inclusion sub-committee. If any of these people is noted to have a conflict of interest, three uninvolved members of the AIMOS executive committee will evaluate the case. All efforts will be taken to preserve the anonymity of the victim and the person reporting the incident.

2022 AIMOS Diversity and Inclusion OFFICER

Malgorzata (Losia) Lagisz (email: m.lagisz@unsw.edu.au)

Acknowledgements

This Code Of Conduct was influenced by and adapted from many sources including but not limited to the Open Source and Feelings talk by Audrey Eschright and the rOpenSci code of conduct.