Code of Conduct

AATSEEL is committed to fostering an environment free from discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other inappropriate conduct at its annual convention and other AATSEEL-organized activities. To that end, in addition to this Code of Conduct, AATSEEL points members to its policy on Diversity, Tolerance, and Harassment.

The AATSEEL Annual Meeting is convened for the purposes of professional development and scholarly and educational interchange in the spirit of free inquiry and free expression. An environment where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive or creative one. Speakers are asked to frame discussions as openly and inclusively as possible and to be aware of how language or images may be perceived by others. Actions and behaviors affect peers and colleagues, and attendees should take those consequences into account when making decisions. All attendees, especially chairs of panels and senior scholar participants, are asked to help create an environment free from unacceptable behaviors.

Attendees are reminded that all professional academic ethics and norms apply as standards of behavior and interaction at the convention. Exhibitors must follow all AATSEEL exhibition rules, regulations, and policies.

Examples of behaviors that do not promote these goals and are therefore deemed unacceptable include:

Sexual or physical assault or contact, or real or implied threats of assault;
Harassment or intimidation based on sex or gender, pregnancy, race, color, age, physical appearance, gender identity or expression, transgender status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language or accent, citizenship status, country of origin, social class, physical and sensory abilities, neurodiversity, academic or professional status, political perspective, field of study, religion, etc.; this includes “jokes” or the attempted use of humor which uses discriminatory or otherwise inappropriate language;
Sexual harassment or intimidation, including but not limited to unwelcome sexual attention, stalking (physical or virtual), unsolicited physical contact, sharing sexually explicit or violent material via electronic devices or other means, or making sexist remarks or displaying sexist materials for purposes other than research;
Shouting down, threatening, using personal insults (especially those using racist or sexist terms), persistently interrupting, or talking over speakers with the intent of interruption or disruption;
Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
Retaliating against a complaint of misconduct.

This list of unacceptable behaviors is not intended to be exhaustive.

All attendees of the AATSEEL Annual Meeting are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct in all convention venues, including online venues, ancillary events, and official and unofficial convention-related social events.

Attendees may exercise their option to leave a session or a conversation at any time. Attendees who are asked by a panel chair or roundtable moderator to stop hostile, harassing or other inappropriate behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Any physical assault or threats of physical assault should be reported immediately to the AATSEEL Executive Director or Conference Manager, and to the event venue security. The AATSEEL Executive Director or Conference Manager will report any such incidents to event venue security and/or local law enforcement authorities as necessary.

AATSEEL reserves the right to take any action deemed necessary and appropriate for violations of the Code of Conduct. The scope of potential actions includes the following, which may be imposed individually or in combination:

Written warning to the actor deemed to be violating the Code of Conduct (hereinafter “the violator”) to cease their conduct;
Removal from or barring return of the violator from further attendance at an ongoing AATSEEL conference;
Barring the violator from registering for or attending future AATSEEL conferences, in person or online, for a period to be determined by AATSEEL;
Barring the violator from assuming any governance positions within AATSEEL for a period to be determined by AATSEEL;
Initiation of the process of revoking the violator’s AATSEEL membership (in accordance with the process in the Constitution and Bylaws).

Any AATSEEL-sponsored event, as a condition of sponsorship, must adopt and publicize a similar code of conduct policy and adhere to the AATSEEL Code of Conduct Policy.

Any violations of the Code of Conduct should be reported immediately to the AATSEEL Executive Director in person, by email (aatseel@colorado.edu), or through this online form. Complaints may be made by those who were subject to the conduct, those who witnessed a violation of the Code of Conduct, or anyone else who believes that a violation of the Code of Conduct occurred. While AATSEEL will make its best efforts to protect the anonymity of complainants, when requested, it is possible that the subject of the complaint will infer the identity of the complainant(s) as a result of the investigation.

The Executive Director will review all complaints and make recommendations to the Code of Conduct Subcommittee of the AATSEEL Executive Council (the “Subcommittee”). The Subcommittee will review the complaint and determine if there has been a violation. If a violation is found, the Subcommittee, working jointly with the Executive Director, will render a decision on sanctions. The complainant will be informed of the disposition of the complaint and, where appropriate, of the sanctions imposed.

A request for appeal of a sanction may be filed with the Executive Council within one month of notice of the date the sanction is issued. In the case of conflicts of interest, members of both the Subcommittee and the Executive Council are expected to recuse themselves.

AATSEEL’s procedures for addressing alleged violations of the Code of Conduct Policy apply to all AATSEEL members and other attendees at the AATSEEL Annual Meeting and other AATSEEL-organized activities for the duration of the activity.

Attendees shall be protected from retaliation or sanction for any complaints made in good faith, regardless of whether the complaint is ultimately founded or unfounded. Good faith complaints are those made with a belief in the truth of the report which a reasonable person in the reporter’s position could hold based upon the facts.

Questions regarding this Code of Conduct may be directed to the Executive Director (aatseel@colorado.edu).

This Code of Conduct policy is adapted from the ASEEES Code of Conduct and the American Library Association Virtual Meeting Code of Conduct.