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The purpose of this policy is to address the conduct expected of PAS participants and to outline steps that may be taken when conduct does not align with expectations. For purposes of this policy, “participant” is defined as any individual registered attendee, speaker, organizer, staff, sponsor, guest, or exhibitor associated with any official PAS events. The PAS Code of Conduct applies to all PAS activities. A PAS activity includes but is not limited to activities throughout the year preparing for the PAS events or activities published in the PAS Meeting Program guide or similar materials, including social events, or activities taking place in or on a PAS event platform, PAS-contracted venues, or taking place online or via social media (i.e., postings to PAS Facebook, Twitter and similar pages, including meeting hashtags).
Expected Conduct
The PAS is committed to fostering a welcoming environment that is safe, collaborative, and productive for dialogue and discovery for all participants. All who register to participate, attend, speak, sponsor, or exhibit at a PAS event agree to comply with this policy.
PAS expects all participants associated with any official PAS events will adhere to the
following principles:
- Respect common-sense rules for public behavior, personal interaction, courtesy, and respect for colleagues, and private property.
- Be considerate and respectful of differing perspectives during the meeting.
- Respect the rules and policies of participating societies, the meeting platform, venues, and hotels.
- Comply with all local, state, and federal laws.
PAS prohibits any form of harassment, sexual or otherwise. Accordingly, some behaviors,
including but not limited to the following, are specifically prohibited:
- Intimidation, stalking, harassment, inappropriate physical or digital contact, unwelcome sexual attention, or discrimination in any form.
- Abusive, harassing, or threatening behavior
- Verbal/written threats or personal insults
At any PAS events, PAS prohibits the following:
- Disruption, including but not limited to solicitation or promotional items, of any presentation, video/text chat, exhibit hall activity, or any other events throughout the meeting is prohibited. All participants must comply with instructions given by the moderator and/or any PAS event staff.
- Participants in PAS events are strictly prohibited from screen capturing, recording, photographing, broadcast, distributing, or unauthorized publication of any sessions or presentations or materials presented at PAS events. This includes, but is not limited to, slides, video or text chat, audio recordings, live digital feeds, or other forms of digital information sharing.
- Participants in PAS events are strictly prohibited from transferring, sharing, publishing, or copying login or access credentials, passwords, or hyperlinks, or other materials intended for the use of individual access to PAS content.
Participants asked by anyone to stop engaging in hostile or harassing behaviors are expected to comply immediately. This behavior will not be tolerated and may result in immediate expulsion from a session, event, or the PAS Meeting, including future PAS Meetings or other PAS events, either virtual or a held-in-person, and/or deactivation of login credentials or other access mechanisms.
Reporting A Violation
Violations of this Code of Conduct Policy should be reported immediately.
All participants are expected to alert venue security, platform, or PAS personnel of any dangerous situations, violations of this Conduct Policy, or if anyone is in distress as detailed below.
Participants who feel physically unsafe or believe a crime has been committed should contact local police immediately.
To report a Code of Conduct violation, participants may:
- Visit Room 204 of the Colorado Convention Center, April 22-25, 2022, 7:00am-6:30pm and/or
- Visit the Code of Conduct form, which will collect and promptly relay information in a confidential and sensitive manner, and/or
- Call PAS at 346.258.6216.
Complaints may be raised during or after any PAS event. Allegations regarding misconduct by participants are taken very seriously. PAS encourages prompt reporting of violations so immediate action can be taken to address the concern. Reports may not be submitted anonymously as that would preclude adequate follow-up action.
Procedures Regarding Reported Violations:
During the PAS Meeting
- Once an allegation is received, the incident will be reviewed promptly by the PAS Executive Director, PAS Meeting Director, and members of a PAS Advisory Group, comprised of the members of the Program Committee Leadership Team.
- Based on this initial information, the complainant will be interviewed promptly by the PAS Executive Director and the PAS Meeting Director together. The complainant will be asked to provide his/her preferred resolution.
- Note: if any of the above individuals are named in an allegation, they may be excluded from any review actions.
- Based on the sole assessment of the PAS Executive Director, PAS Meeting Director, and PAS Advisory Group comprised of the members of the Program Committee Leadership Team, in consultation with legal counsel, as needed, PAS may enact a range of next steps, up to and including immediate expulsion from a session, event, or the PAS Meeting, without prior warning or refund. PAS reserves the right to remove any participant whose social attentions become unwelcome to another and who persists in such attentions after their unwelcome nature has been communicated. PAS also reserves the right to remove any participant who appears inebriated or who engages in conduct that interferes with the ability of other participants to participate in and enjoy the meeting.
After a PAS Event
- If PAS, in its sole determination, concludes the allegation requires further review or scrutiny, the PAS Executive Director, Meeting Director, and an Advisory Group member will raise the complaint with the alleged offender, who will be given a chance to respond.
- Other individuals may be contacted to provide information. Participants are expected to cooperate with PAS information gathering related to a reported violation of this Code of Conduct Policy by providing the information requested by PAS that is relevant.
- Action will be taken by the PAS Board based on its assessment of the level of misconduct.
- PAS may, in its reasonable judgment, refer the allegation to venue or platform security personnel or to the alleged offender’s home institution (Office of Research Integrity or similar), employer, licensing board, or law enforcement for investigation and decision.
- If PAS, in its reasonable judgment, determines an individual has violated this Code of Conduct Policy, PAS may bar the individual from participation in future PAS events.
- PAS will report on the outcome of any investigation to individuals who have reported a violation of this Code of Conduct Policy.