NYCDH Week Code of Conduct

NYCDH Week provides individuals across the region who are interested in digital humanities an opportunity to learn new techniques and skills, hear about DH projects from across the city, and become part of a vibrant and diverse community of scholars and practitioners. To achieve this,

NYCDH seeks to provide a welcoming, professionally engaging, fun, and safe experience that is free from all forms of harassment, and inclusive of all people.

Small actions you can take will help us meet this goal. For instance, we suggest: listening as much as you speak and remembering that colleagues may have expertise you are unaware of; encouraging and yielding the floor to those whose viewpoints may be under-represented in a group; using welcoming language, for instance by honoring pronoun preferences and favoring gender-neutral collective nouns (“people,” not “guys”); accepting critique graciously and offering it constructively; giving credit where it is due; seeking concrete ways to make physical spaces and online resources more universally accessible; and staying alert, as active bystanders, to the welfare of those around you.

By attending NYCDH Week events, you signal your commitment to contributing to a safe and inclusive experience for all. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form at any venue being used by NYCDH Week. Harassment can include unwelcome or offensive verbal comments or nonverbal expressions related to: age; appearance or body size; employment or military status; ethnicity; gender identity or expression; individual lifestyles; marital status; national origin; physical or cognitive ability; political affiliation; sexual orientation; race; or religion. Harassment can also include the use of sexual and/or discriminatory images in public spaces (including online); deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; bullying behavior; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention. Sexual, discriminatory, or potentially triggering language and imagery is generally inappropriate for any NYCDH Week venue. However, this policy is not intended to constrain responsible scholarly or professional discourse and debate. We welcome engagement with difficult topics, done with respect and care.

Participants asked to stop any harassing or intimidating behavior(s) are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning, sanctioning, or expelling the offender.

Reporting Guidelines

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible by emailing NYCDH organizers at nycdigitalhumanities+conduct@gmail.com. If you do not feel comfortable contacting NYCDH Week organizers directly, please fill out this form.

This form was created to give those who need it the option of simply submitting an instance of a violation of the Code of Conduct with the option of retaining anonymity. All reports and inquiries will be handled in confidence.

You will receive an initial message confirming receipt of the report. NYCDH Week organizers will confer with one another to review the incident. Organizers may follow-up with additional questions to gather more information and to determine how you would like to proceed. NYCDH Week organizers will determine the most appropriate course of action. Throughout the entire process, organizers will strive to respect your wishes as we work to ensure a safe, inclusive, and oppression-free space for our community.

Sanctions

Responses for violations of the Code of Conduct may include but are not limited to:

warning the harasser to cease their behavior and that any further reports will result in other sanctions
requiring that the harasser immediately leave the event and not return
banning the harasser from future NYCDH events (either indefinitely or for a certain time period)

We expect participants to follow these rules at all NYCDH Week venues, related social events, community gatherings, and online communication channels. We value your presence and constructive participation in our shared community, and thank you for your attention to the comfort, safety, and well-being of fellow NYCDH Week collaborators and attendees.

NYCDH Week Code of Conduct adapted from DLF Code of Conduct CC-BY-NC 4.0

Last updated: December 18, 2019