Code of Conduct
The Northeast OER Summit is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all participants. All participants, including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, donors, sponsors, staff members, service providers, and all others are expected to abide by this Code of Conduct. This Policy applies to the Northeast OER Summit events.
The Northeast OER Summit is strongly committed to diversity, equity, and the polite free expression of ideas. Taken cumulatively, the values and beliefs delineated within this policy describe conduct based on a firm belief in the value of civil discourse and the free exploration of competing ideas and concepts – with a fundamental respect for the rights, dignity, and value of all persons.
Northeast OER Summit has zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination or harassment, including but not limited to sexual harassment by participants or our staff at our meetings. If you experience harassment or hear of any incidents of unacceptable behavior, the Northeast OER Summit asks that you inform the NE OER Planning Committee at neoersummit@gmail.com, so that we can take the appropriate action.
Anonymous reports are allowed. Please note that anonymous reporting may limit moderators’ ability to fully respond to conflicts, particularly if it prevents follow-up.
The Committee will confirm receipt of all reports as promptly as they can.
We expect all participants to abide by the following behaviors:
Don’t post sexual, violent, or discriminatory content.
Don’t engage in intimidation, stalking, sustained disruption, inappropriate physical or virtual contact, or unwelcome attention, including sexual attention, (online or in person).
Foster useful and dynamic discussions and engage in a respectful dialogue. Accept critique and offer it constructively; approach discussions with an open mind and be willing to learn. Thousands of people may eventually see the messages you post, which may stay online in perpetuity and be seen by colleagues, employers, and patrons alike.
Respect freedom of expression. We encourage spirited discussion and debate. Disagreeing with an idea is different from attacking an individual, especially since discussion topics can sometimes be challenging. We promote genuine inquiry that can build trusting relationships and a safe, respectful, and supportive environment, even in times of complex change. Every member is on an individual journey of education and understanding, and should communicate candidly and respectfully about difficult topics. Be willing to acknowledge privileges and to learn from the community.
Respect intellectual property and give credit where it is due. It is the user’s responsibility to obtain permission for any material they post that is not their own. Please include copyright notices where appropriate, ask for creator information where unknown, and be prepared to include credits if they are found after you post.
Take responsibility for the impact of communications. Impact matters more than intent, especially when the absence of nonverbal cues or voice tone means that statements (humor in particular) can easily be interpreted as aggressive or negative.
Listen as much as you share and remember that other participants may have expertise you are unaware of. Make sure conversations are inclusive, and practice active listening.
When you see content that is problematic, you may address it either publicly or privately. Acknowledge that your response is part of a respectful discussion. Pointing out factually erroneous or offensive comments keeps the space safe and helps build a stronger community. These are opportunities to educate – and to learn.
Speak from your own experience and avoid making generalizations. If you’re not sure whether something is correct, you can ask the community for resources.
Respect other people’s pronouns – often seen in their profile or signature – preferred names, and forms of address. Consider using gender-neutral collective nouns/pronouns when addressing groups. For example, try “everyone” or “folks” instead of “guys.”
Post as yourself. Do not impersonate any other people or entities that you are not affiliated with.
Unacceptable Behavior is defined as:
- Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form.
- Verbal abuse of any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, NE OER staff member, service provider, or other meeting guest.
- Examples of verbal abuse include, but are not limited to, verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, national origin, inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces or in presentations, or threatening or stalking any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, NE OER staff member, service provider, or other meeting guest.
- Disruption of presentations during sessions, or at other events organized by NE OER Summit throughout the virtual meeting. All participants must comply with the instructions of the moderator and any NE OER event staff.
- Presentations, postings, and messages should not contain promotional materials, special offers, job offers, product announcements, or solicitation for services. NE OER Summit reserves the right to remove such messages and potentially ban sources of those solicitations.
The Northeast OER Summit reserves the right to take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including immediate removal from the meeting without warning or refund, in response to any incident of unacceptable behavior, and The Northeast OER Summit reserves the right to prohibit attendance at any future meeting, virtually or in person.
This Code of Conduct has been adapted from ALA Spectrum Community Guidelines, the ALA Virtual Meeting Code of Conduct, and the Creative Commons Global Summit Code of Conduct.