IGeLU seeks to provide an inclusive, collaborative, caring, and respectful community environment for everyone, regardless of sex, gender, gender identity/expression, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, age, language spoken, national origin, and/or religion.
We are committed to diversity and free expression of ideas, and creating a conference in which participants feel welcome to learn and exchange ideas in an environment of mutual respect. We also are dedicated to providing a conference experience that offers extraordinary and joyful learning experiences for everyone.
We do not tolerate harassment or disrespect of IGeLU conference participants in any form. Sexual or discriminatory language and imagery are not appropriate for any event venue or online platforms associated with IGeLU conferences, including presentations, discussions, and associated social events. If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe, harassed, or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible.
Conference organizers will initiate action to address the issue. Participants who are asked by anyone to stop any harassing or disrespectful behaviour are expected to comply immediately. All participants are required to respect fellow participants in order to ensure a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning experience for everyone present.
We have established a specific and accessible response framework to be applied in the event of an incident, adopted March 2019.
Long Version
IGeLU seeks to provide an inclusive, collaborative, caring, and respectful community environment. We are committed to diversity and free expression of ideas, and creating a conference in which participants feel welcome to learn and exchange ideas in an environment of mutual respect, regardless of individual’s personal, professional or social backgrounds. We also are dedicated to providing a conference experience that offers extraordinary and joyful learning experiences for everyone. Feedback on your experience at IGeLU is welcomed as an opportunity for continuous learning and towards meeting our goals of inclusion and equity.
Behaviours Not Tolerated
We do not tolerate harassment or disrespect of IGeLU conference participants in any form. Sexual or discriminatory language and imagery are not appropriate for any event venue or online platforms associated with IGeLU conferences, including presentations, discussions, and associated social events.
Harassment is understood as behaviour that intimidates or threatens another person or group of persons. It includes a wide range of behaviours, including offensive verbal comments and slights related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion; sexual and or discriminatory images in public spaces; stalking; following; inappropriate photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.
Response Framework
What You Can Do & How We Will Respond
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of IGeLU conferences for everyone. If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, the organizers will initiate action in response. Participants who are asked by anyone to stop any harassing or disrespectful behaviour are expected to comply immediately. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to, warning the offender, withdrawing the offender’s position on the programme, requiring the offender to leave the session in which the harassment takes place, immediate expulsion from the event, and reporting the offender to local law enforcement.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns during the conference, please notify the Steering Committee or event staff as soon as possible. Please note that all reports are kept confidential and only shared with those who “need to know”. Retaliation in any form against anyone reporting an incident of harassment, independent of the outcome, will not be tolerated.
What the IGeLU Steering Committee commits to
Steering Committee Members will wear easily identifiable name badges to facilitate identification and will be available throughout the conference and at the main Registration Desk.
Where immediate action is required we request the issues are raised in person. If safety is a concern, we will identify an anonymous reporting means that we will identify and share prior to the start of the conference. Issues may also be raised by email to conference@igelu.org and we will respond to those as soon as we can. We will be happy to help you contact hotel/venue security, local law enforcement, local support services, provide escorts, or otherwise assist you to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.
We intend to have a member of our team attend every session to assist in responding and documenting if an incident occurs or an issue arises.
Harassment in-session:
Session chairs are expected to monitor the session. Should harassing behaviour manifest or be otherwise reported, session chairs will immediately request the offender to cease. If an incident occurs, the IGeLU Steering Committee will work to understand and document what happened to determine an initial response. All incidents will be handled on a case-by-case basis, using a thoughtful approach.
Decisions to expel participants will be discussed in consultation with the local organisers and IGeLU Steering Committee before acting. Incident details will be logged in confidential IGeLU Steering Committee records.
Harassment out-of-session:
Should harassing behaviour manifest elsewhere associated with the conference and be reported, IGeLU Steering Committee members will respond. Issues requiring immediate action must be acknowledged straightaway by at least one IGeLU Steering Committee member and subsequent actions or investigations initiated.
Responding and reporting will be handled by the IGeLU Steering Committee on case-by-case basis in a manner that fits the nature of the offense. Issues requiring discussion with the complainant before agreeing to a response should be dealt with sensitively in a private space and the complainant made aware of how the IGeLU Steering Committee wishes to respond.
For serious incidents:
● Decisions to expel participants from the conference must be discussed with both the local organisers and the IGeLU Steering Committee
● Accusations of criminal activity must be reported to local law enforcement
● Complainants must be supported for the remainder of the event as appropriate.
Incident details must be logged in confidential IGeLU Steering committee records.
Important contact information:
Prior to the start of the conference, contact information (phone numbers and/or email addresses) for these and possibly other primary contacts will be made available to attendees (in-person and virtual):
1. Conference hotels
2. Conference and reception venues
3. Numbers of IGeLU Steering Committee contacts
4. Local police department
5. Local sexual assault / crisis line
6. Local taxi and ride companies.
A report will be filed with the IGeLU Steering Committee at the end of the conference summarizing any Code of Conduct violations or issues. Every attempt will be made to anonymize incidents unless they are of a criminal nature or resulted in participants being banned from the event.
CREDIT: iPRES