ACH 2023 is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone regardless of gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, origin, or religion. By attending ACH 2023 events, you signal your commitment to contributing to a safe and inclusive experience for all. We do not tolerate harassment of event participants in any form, whether events are held virtually or face-to-face. Participants in ACH 2023 events violating these rules may be barred or banned from ACH 2023 activities at the discretion of the organizers.

Harassment includes but is not limited to: derogatory verbal comments; sexist, racist, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language; sexual and/or discriminatory text or audio-visual material in conference spaces (virtual or face-to-face), unless being critiqued in an academic context; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; questioning someone’s right to use the restroom of their choice; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the event.

ACH 2023 seeks to uphold these values throughout the submission and review process as well as during the conference itself. Please familiarize yourself with the reporting guidelines and our process for addressing violations.

Reporting Procedures

Please know that we believe you. All code of conduct violations will be treated seriously. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, we ask that you contact us immediately to file a report. As social media moves rapidly, we ask that a formal report be provided in addition to any issues discussed on social media to ensure that we receive all the pertinent information. To report a violation at any time, please contact Pam Lach, ACH 2023 conference chair at plach [at] sdsu [dot] edu or email the ACH 2023 conference committee at conference [at] ach [dot] org.

All reports will be kept confidential to the extent possible governed by applicable federal or state laws. In some cases we may determine that a public statement will need to be made. If that proves to be the case, the identities of all victims and reporters will remain confidential unless those individuals instruct us otherwise.

If you believe anyone is in physical danger, please call 911.

In your report please include:

• Your contact information (so we can get in touch with you if we need to follow up)
• Names (real, nicknames, or pseudonyms) of any individuals involved. If there were other witnesses besides you, please try to include them as well
• When and where the incident occurred. Please be as specific as possible.
• Your account of what occurred
• Screenshots and/or links (permanent if possible) to any online content relevant to your report
• Any extra context for the incident
• If you believe this incident is ongoing
• Any other information you believe we should have

Investigation Process

You will receive immediate acknowledgement of receipt of your complaint within an hour of your formal report during the scheduled hours of the event. All reports received before or after the event will be acknowledged within 24 hours. We promise to acknowledge receipt and initiate a meeting of the appropriate individuals. For ACH 2023, this will include the conference committee.

The committee will confer to review the incident and determine:

• What happened;
• Whether this event constitutes a Code of Conduct violation;
• Who the bad actor(s) was; and
• Whether this is an ongoing situation, or if there is a threat to anyone’s physical safety.

If the incident is determined to be ongoing or a threat to physical safety, the organizers’ immediate priority will be to protect everyone involved. This may include removing individuals from conference venues (face-to-face or virtual), asking for individual meetings with individuals making the report and individuals involved in the incident, and/or requesting assistance from legal authorities. This means we may delay an “official” response until we believe that the situation has ended and that everyone is physically safe.

Once the committee has a complete account of the events they will make a decision as to how to respond. Responses may include but are not limited to:

• Nothing (if we determine no violation occurred)
• A private reprimand from ACH 2023 and/or ACH to the individual(s) involved
• A public reprimand
• A permanent or temporary ban from ACH 2023 and/or ACH events and reporting of the incident to ADHO, which may result in additional restrictions
• A request for a public or private apology

We will attempt to respond as quickly as possible with the goal of resolving all complaints. Within 24 hours, we will seek to document either a resolution or an explanation of why the situation is not yet resolved to the individual reporting. Once we’ve determined our final action, we will contact the original individuals involved in reporting the incident to let them know what action (if any) we will be taking. We will take into account any feedback we receive from the reporter of the incident on the appropriateness of our response, but we do not guarantee we will act on it.

We value your participation in ACH 2023 and thank you for working with us to ensure that our events are safe and productive spaces for all.