Adapted from the Citizen Code of Conduct
A primary goal of CORES (COlorado Reacting flows, Electrochemistry and Surface science) Research Group is to be inclusive to the largest number of contributors, with the most varied and diverse backgrounds possible. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of personal background or characteristics.
Discrimination on the basis of age, ancestry, creed, marital status, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or military service is unlawful and therefore prohibited. This prohibition applies to all students, faculty, staff, contractors, administrators, trustees, visitors, and volunteers.
This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our community, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.
We invite all those who participate in CORES Research Group to help us create safe and positive experiences for everyone.
A supplemental goal of this Code of Conduct is to increase open scientific culture citizenship by encouraging participants to recognize and strengthen the relationships between our actions and their effects on our community.
Communities mirror the societies in which they exist and positive action is essential to counteract the many forms of inequality and abuses of power that exist in society.
If you see someone who is making an extra effort to ensure our community is welcoming, friendly, and encourages all participants to contribute to the fullest extent, we want to know.
We expect all research group participants (contributors, paid or otherwise; sponsors; and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct in all community venues--online and in-person--as well as in all one-on-one communications pertaining to community business. It applies to the behavior of all group participants, ranging from undergraduate researchers to graduate researchers, and to the group PI (Steven DeCaluwe).
This code of conduct and its related procedures also applies to unacceptable behavior occurring outside the scope of community activities when such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members.
CORES Research group operates within the confines of the Colorado School of Mines (Mines), and is bound by all state and federal laws which apply thereunto. For any instance in which the policies outlined herein conflict with Mines policies and regulations, Mines policies will supersede those listed here. These include, in particular, Mines's Title IX and Title VII policies.
Under Colorado State and US Federal laws, Dr. DeCaluwe is a mandatory reporter. This means that he is legally required to report any suspected sexual misconduct, including assault/violence, abuse harassment, and/or discrimination, the appropriate authorities in the Title IX office at Mines.
While he will make any and all efforts to maintain anonymity (i.e. you identify will protected, if at all possible), he cannot therefore promise that any reports will be maintained as confidential. As described below in the reporting options, anonymous reporting options are available to those for whom anonymity is a significant priority.
The following behaviors are expected and requested of all community members:
- 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.
- Attempt collaboration before conflict.
- Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
- 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.
- Remember that community event venues may be shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations.
The following behaviors are considered harassment and are unacceptable within our community:
- Violence, threats of violence or violent language directed against another person.
- Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
- Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material.
- Posting or threatening to post other people's personally identifying information ("doxing").
- Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
- Inappropriate photography or recording.
- Inappropriate physical contact. You should have someone's consent before touching them.
- Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes, sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping, and unwelcome sexual advances.
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
- Sustained disruption of community events, including talks and presentations.
No weapons will be allowed at CORES Research Group events, community spaces, or in other spaces covered by the scope of this Code of Conduct. Weapons include but are not limited to guns, explosives (including fireworks), and large knives such as those used for hunting or display, as well as any other item used for the purpose of causing injury or harm to others. Anyone seen in possession of one of these items will be asked to leave immediately, and will only be allowed to return without the weapon. Community members are further expected to comply with all state and local laws on this matter.
If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify Dr. DeCaluwe or other responsible parties as soon as possible.
You can report directly to Dr. DeCaluwe, either via email ([email protected]) or by visiting his office (Brown Building W410 B).
You can also report a violation by submitting a complaint via google form.
This form gives you the option of either including your contact information or reporting anonymously.
Additionally, community organizers and Mines personnel are available to help community members engage with local law enforcement or to otherwise help those experiencing unacceptable behavior feel safe. In the context of in-person events, organizers will also provide escorts as desired by the person experiencing distress.
These include:
- Confidential reporting through SpeakUp@Mines or the Mines Title IX office
- Mines CARE team
Unacceptable behavior from any community member, including sponsors and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated.
Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.
If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, the community organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the research group without warning. For graduate and undergraduate research assistants, expulsion from the group will also include cancellation of any existing contracts supporting your participation in the group. In such a case, any existing support for Mines tuition and fees will be revoked, beginning at the end of the current semester.
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For violations which fall under the purview of Title IX and/or Title VII, issues will be escalated to appropriate Mines personnel.
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For group-specific issues, reasonable steps will be taken to correct the issue, including:
- Discussion with accused party
- Change in group structure regarding accused party’s responsibilities and/or office location.
- Revocation of right to travel for conferences if relevant/appropriate
- Dismissal from group and cancellation of contracts
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Depending on the severity of the CoC violation, any or all steps above can be taken, as deemed appropriate.
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Special care will be taken to minimize/avoid any and all negative consequences for the complainant. Retribution by or on behalf of the accused will not be tolerated and will be cause for immediate dismissal from CORES Research Group.
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For matters completely under PI’s purview, the PI will take initial action within two (2) weeks of receiving a complaint
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The complainant will be kept apprised of the response, as appropriate, and feedback will be solicited upon conclusion of issue to guarantee safety and/or satisfactory resolution for the complainant and to assure that that the purpose of this Code of Conduct is fulfilled.
If you feel you have been falsely or unfairly accused of violating this Code of Conduct, you should notify Dr. DeCaluwe with a concise description of your grievance. Your grievance will be handled in accordance with our existing governing policies.
This Code of Conduct shall be reviewed and updated once per year, at the beginning of each academic year (or whenever the signer first joins the group, for new members). All group members shall submit approval of this code of conduct by submitting a pull request which adds their name and the current date in the section titled Signatories.
Reviewing and updating the code shall be accomplished via commits to a group member's private GitHub repo, followed by a pull request (PR) to the group repository. All group members must either (i) approve of any suggested changes, or (ii) provide a comment on the PR to express any reservations and/or suggest amendments.
For any questions or suggestions regarding this Code of Conduct, please contact the PI, Dr. Steven C. DeCaluwe, directly, via email at [email protected].
By adding our name and date (via pull request) once per year, the undersigned hereby approve of the foregoing code of conduct and agree to the expectations, policies, and procedures outlined herein.
Corey R. Randall 8-27-19 Gandhali Kogekar 8-27-19
The Citizen Code of Conduct is distributed by Stumptown Syndicate under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.
Portions of text derived from the Django Code of Conduct and the Geek Feminism Anti-Harassment Policy.
Revision 2.3. Posted 6 March 2017.
Revision 2.2. Posted 4 February 2016.
Revision 2.1. Posted 23 June 2014.
Revision 2.0, adopted by the Stumptown Syndicate board on 10 January 2013. Posted 17 March 2013.