ISNS Code of Conduct

General Guidelines

ISNS supports a safe and inclusive environment for all members of our community regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, age, race, ability, ethnicity, veteran status, or religion. This commitment extends beyond our in-person events and into social media, forums, livestreams, and any other form of digital spaces affiliated with ISNS.

All ISNS events, gatherings, and workshops – online and in-person – are safe spaces where people can participate without fear of judgment or harassment. All participants and volunteers are expected to treat everyone with respect. In addition to demonstrating professional courtesy, we expect all participants to be mindful of their speech and behaviors both in person and online. No form of harassment or assault will be tolerated. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, physical harassment, verbal harassment, coercion, and any form of sexual assault.

The following behaviors are expected and requested of all ISNS Staff, Board Members, Volunteers, and Participants:

  • Participate in an authentic and active way. In doing so, you contribute to the health and longevity of this community.
  • Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
  • Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert community leaders if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.
  • Conduct yourself professionally during all program activities.

Unacceptable behaviors include:

  • Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning conduct; offensive verbal comments including as related to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, age, or religion;
  • Inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides);
  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following, including continuing to pursue a romantic relationship after being asked to stop;
  • Harassing photography or recording (including photography or recording without consent in places where privacy would be expected);
  • Sustained disruption of talks or other events;
  • Inappropriate physical contact (including physical contact without consent); unwelcome sexual attention.
  • Physical, written, verbal or other abuse, intimidation, threats, annoyance, harassment, stalking, pushing, shoving or use of any physical force whatsoever against any person, which in any way creates a disturbance that is disruptive or dangerous, or creates apprehension in a person,
  • Possessing any illegal substance, including but not limited to narcotics or other illegal drugs.
  • Possessing any open can, bottle or other receptacle containing any alcoholic beverages, except in areas specifically designated for the consumption of alcohol. Please drink responsibly.
  • Smoking – other than in designated areas.

ISNS has adopted a zero tolerance policy towards any kind of harassment or violence, and takes complaints about harassment very seriously. Should ISNS receive a report about a potential violation of the Code of Conduct, led by the President of ISNS the Board will investigate the report immediately.

Supplemental Code of Conduct for Staff and Board Members and Volunteers

In addition to adhering to the General Guidelines described above, ISNS Staff and Board Members and Volunteers are expected to adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Staff, Board Members, and Volunteers will never use their position to solicit, coerce, or otherwise attempt to obtain any business or personal advantage that would not otherwise have been obtained.
  • Staff, Board Members, and Volunteers will clearly identify any potential conflict of interest during the program selection process, and will recuse themselves if they do not believe they could be impartial in assessing a potential participant or if there may be the appearance of partiality.
  • Staff, Board Members, and Volunteers will never use their position to solicit, force, or coerce any romantic relationship with another Staff Member, Board Member, Volunteer, or Participant.

Attribution

Significant portions of this Code of Conduct were drawn from the IGDA Foundation and GDC Code of Conduct and the Open Source Bridge Code of Conduct. The original documents are available at https://www.gdconf.com/code-of-conduct and opensourcebridge.org/about/code-of-conduct/ and are released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.