Code of Conduct

Brainhack is dedicated to providing an environment where people are kind and respectful to each other, a harassment-free Brainhack experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of event participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any event venue, including talks. Brainhack participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event without a refund at the discretion of the event organizers.

This could really be the end of that code of conduct, but some forms of harassment and negative behavior are fairly hard to identify at first. Please read carefully through the rest of the document to make sure you avoid them. There is also a section to know what to do and expect if you experience behavior that deviates from this code of conduct.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion.
• Sexual images in public spaces
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
• Harassing photography or recording
• Sustained disruption of talks or other events
• Inappropriate physical contact
• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour
• Unwelcome sexual attention

RESPECTING DIFFERENCES

Brainhack participants come from many cultures and backgrounds. We therefore expect everyone to be very respectful of different cultural practices, attitudes, and beliefs. This includes being aware of preferred titles and pronouns, as well as using a respectful tone of voice.

While we do not assume Brainhack participants know the cultural practices of every ethnic and cultural group, we expect members to recognize and respect differences within our community. This means being open to learning from and educating others, as well as educating yourself.

MICROAGGRESSIONS

Incidents can take the form of “microaggressions,” which is a damaging form of harassment. Microaggressions are the everyday slights or insults which communicate negative messages to target individuals, often based upon their marginalized group membership. The following examples can all be labeled micro-aggressions: commenting on a woman’s appearance rather than her work; only directing questions at male colleagues when there are female experts in the room; telling someone of colour that they “speak such good English”; forcefully praising meat to an individual with a vegetarian diet; praising alcoholic drinks to an individual who do not consume them. Exclusion from a group can be a common nonverbal form of microaggression. Microaggressions can be couched in the form of a “compliment,” (e.g. “you’re too attractive to be a scientist”). Over time, microaggressions can take a great toll on mental and emotional health, and the target’s feeling of belonging in science and academia.

ENFORCEMENT

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Organizers and presenters are also subject to the anti-harassment policy. In particular, they should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material. Event organisers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants. If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, event organisers have the responsibility to remind the offender about Brainhack’s Code of Conduct, and warn them that repeated inappropriate, uncivil, threatening, offensive, or harmful behavior can lead to a temporary or permanent ban from the event with no refund. The offending person(s) may also see affected their participation in future Brainhack events. We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues and event-related social activities. We think people should follow these rules outside event activities too!

REPORTING

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible to the events organizers or jean-baptiste.poline@.mcgill.ca Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our event for everyone. We want you to be happy at our event. People like you make our event a better place. You can make a report either with your personal email or using an anonymous email.