Expected conduct for attendees of the Canadian Society for Immunology annual meetings

The Canadian Society for Immunology (CSI) has always been committed to ensuring that our annual meetings provide a welcoming, nurturing and inclusive platform for sharing and exchanging ideas and knowledge. To this end, the CSI will continue to provide a safe and productive environment that promotes collegiality, respect, and equal opportunities for all.

All CSI meeting participants agree to refrain from all forms of discrimination, harassment, and bullying (as defined below) in their interactions during the conference. This professional standard is especially important when interactions involve power differentials. This code of conduct applies to all participants of virtual and in-person meetings, including but not limited to attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, staff, contractors, volunteers and any other participants.

Expected conduct

All participants are expected to:

• Treat each other with respect and consideration, valuing the diversity of scientific views and opinions
• Communicate openly and critique ideas rather than individuals
• Be kind to others and not engage in personal insults or put-downs of other attendees
• Be polite and respectful in all personal interactions
• Refrain from recording or taking photographs (or screen shots, if virtual) of presentations (talks and posters) without explicit consent from the speaker unless otherwise indicated by meeting organizers 

Behaviors that will not be tolerated are:

• Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of individuals or groups of people based on their sex, age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, accent, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief system, disability, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws.
• Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual advances, gestures, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that would create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.
• Bullying is aggressive behavior involving the use of influence, threat, intimidation, or coercion to dominate others in a professional environment.
• Speech that is personally offensive based on ethnicity, race, religion, gender, age, physical appearance, body size, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, sustained disruption of talks or other events, photography or recording without consent, inappropriate contact, and unwelcome attention through any medium.
• Other types of harassment includes any written, verbal, or other conduct in any medium directed at individuals or groups of people because of their race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, disability, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.
• Inappropriate management of conference attendance includes sharing access badges or connection information to virtual platforms with non-registered users. When connecting to a virtual platform, all attendees should use their own name, and not attempt to misrepresent themselves in any way. Unauthorised access or malicious changes to the conference website, conference hosting tools or any related systems will not be tolerated.
• Scientific misconduct includes copying, redistributing or using data from presentations without permission from the authors or presenters. 

Reporting Unacceptable Behaviour

Any unacceptable behaviour, whether experienced directly or witnessed, should be reported promptly to designated individuals identified on the conference bulletin board and program book.

What We Will Do

Once we have received a complaint, CSI will promptly take the following steps:

• Privately get in contact with the complainant to discuss the details of the situation they encountered
• Contact the alleged offender to discuss the complaint
• Report findings to the CSI President who will determine next steps
• Consult with the complainant before taking any action

All complaints will be taken seriously and responded to promptly. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent that it does not compromise the rights of others. If a participant engages in unacceptable behaviour, event organisers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event welcoming and safe for all participants. We expect participants to follow these rules at all in-person and virtual event venues and event-related social activities.  CSI reserves the right to remove an individual from the conference, prohibit attendance at future conferences, and/or revoke eligibility for awards or other membership benefits.

Attributions

This document is based on similar agreements sourced from the Future of Meetings Code of Conduct, the Canadian Astronomical Society and the American Society of Plant Biologists (with permission from Crispin Taylor, CEO).