CCT Statement on Harassment

CCT STATEMENT ON HARASSMENT

Adopted November 16, 2018

The following policy statement outlines expectations for all those who attend or participate in CCT conferences and other sanctioned events. It formalizes already existing norms and standards that reflect our understanding that mutual respect is a necessary condition for knowledge creation in a diverse community.

Consistent with best practices, this policy is primarily intended to cover interpersonal interactions that can undermine the aforementioned norms and standards. Most professional interactions, such as the presentation of scholarly research, Q&A sessions, roundtables, etc., lie outside the proper scope of a harassment policy. In other words, this policy should not be construed as conflicting with what is generally understood as academic freedom.

1. Goals and Approach

The members of this community are entitled to an environment free from harassment based on (but not limited to) age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, language, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical ability or health condition, socioeconomic status, marital or domestic status, employment status, or parental status.

This policy is not intended to foster a violation-and-punishment approach to addressing harassment. Rather, it has as its core goals: (1) the aid of persons who have been harassed or similarly mistreated on terms they approve; (2) the restoration of community goodwill, to the extent possible; (3) an end to behaviors and interactions that cause undue harm.

2. Expected Behavior

All participants at CCT events are expected to:

Follow standard norms of ethical professional conduct and treat all others with the respect necessary to promote a free exchange of ideas.
Be proactive. This can involve direct communication or other efforts to stop harassment when experienced or witnessed. It may involve alerting event personnel, CCTC Board members, or their designees.

3. Harassment and Related Forms of Mistreatment

These may consist of acts or language that is sufficiently severe, pervasive, persistent or patently offensive as to unreasonably interfere with an individual’s performance, or that creates a hostile professional, educational, or interpersonal environment.

This may involve (but is not limited to) unwanted sexual solicitation, physical advance, or (non-)verbal conduct that is sexual in nature. It may also involve threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts; pressure to engage in unwanted behavior in public, circulation of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility toward an individual or group; epithets, slurs, or negative stereotyping based on group identity.

Participants are encouraged to immediately report instances of harassment to event organizers/staff, the CCTC Board, or its designees. As noted, the Board is primarily interested in restoring persons who have been wronged but it is also committed to the safety of community members. Thus, the Board ultimately reserves the right, following procedures that it designates, to revoke event privileges, prohibit persons from future CCT events, and/or revoke their membership for behaviors that unreasonably interfere with the business of this community.