Policy Statement on ACR Conference Safety and Inclusiveness

Issues of harassment and discrimination are an issue for all members of the academy; our common goal is a community of scholarship, free from bias and mindfully striving toward inclusiveness. ACR reminds our members, participants, and stakeholders: Our conferences are convened for the purposes of sharing research, developing knowledge, and promoting career development for all. The harassment of others, especially those where an asymmetry of power exists (such as junior colleagues, doctoral students, or conference staff), undermines the principles of scholarship at the heart of our activities and is inconsistent with our ideals. Consequently, harassment is considered by ACR to be a serious form of professional misconduct.

The following policy statement outlines expectations for all those who attend or participate in ACR conferences. These are existing norms and standards that reflect our shared goals of mutual respect in knowledge creation within a diverse community.

1. Goal

ACR seeks to provide a safe and welcoming conference environment for all participants, free from harassment based on age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, language, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, health conditions, socioeconomic status, marital status, domestic status, employment status or parental status (hereafter, simply harassment).


2. Expected Behavior

 All participants at ACR conferences are expected to:

 

• Follow the norms of professional respect that are necessary to promote the conditions for free academic interchange.
• Be proactive to speak up to stop harassment of others, if witnessed.
• Alert conference personnel if you see an occurrence of harassment, especially where asymmetries of power exist (e.g., where the harassed participant is not in an easy position to protect themselves).


3. Unacceptable Behavior

Behaviors considered unacceptable can include a single intense and severe actor multiple persistent or pervasive acts that are demeaning, abusive, offensive, or create a hostile professional or workplace environment.Harassment may include unwanted sexual solicitation, physical advance, or verbal or non-verbal conduct that is sexual in nature; it may also include threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts; 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.

Attendees are encouraged to immediately report instances of harassment during the conference to the ACR Executive Director, Rajiv Vaidyanathan (rvaidyan@d.umn.edu; (218) 726-6817) and to the conference co-chairs of the current event, either in person or by leaving a message for them at the Registration Desk.

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