Code of Conduct

A primary goal of UX Burlington is to be inclusive to the largest number of attendees and speakers, with the most varied and diverse backgrounds possible. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, physical appearance, socioeconomic status, body size, race, or religion (or lack thereof.) This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our conference, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior. We invite all those who participate in UX Burlington to help us create safe and positive experiences for everyone.

A supplemental goal of this Code of Conduct is to increase open culture citizenship by encouraging participants to recognize and strengthen the relationships between our actions and their effects on our community. Communities mirror the societies in which they exist and positive action is essential to counteract the many forms of inequality and abuses of power that exist in society. If you see someone who is making an extra effort to ensure our community is welcoming, friendly, and encourages all participants to contribute to the fullest extent, we want to know.

• Participate in an authentic and active way. In doing so, you contribute to the health and longevity of this community. Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
• Attempt collaboration before conflict.
• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
• Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert community leaders if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.

Unacceptable behaviors include: intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning speech or actions by any participant in our community online, at all related events and in one-on-one communications carried out in the context of community business. Community event venues may be shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations. Harassment includes: harmful or prejudicial verbal or written comments related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability; inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides); deliberate intimidation, stalking or following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Unacceptable behavior from any community member, including sponsors and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated. Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, the community organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the community without warning and without refund. If an attendee or speaker is violating the Code of Conduct, they will be given a warning based on the severity determined by the conference organizers. If the grievance is severe, they will be asked to leave immediately and not return. If a speaker is violating the Code of Conduct, their talk will be ended immediately and they will receive a warning. Dependent on the severity of the grievance, the speaker may be asked to leave the conference and banned from future UX Burlington events.

If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify a community organizer as soon as possible via email at info@uxburlington.com. Additionally, community organizers are available to help community members engage with local law enforcement or to otherwise help those experiencing unacceptable behavior feel safe. In the context of in-person events, organizers will also provide escorts as desired by the person experiencing distress. If you feel that you are unsafe in an emergency situation, contact 911. For non-emergencies, the Burlington Police Department can be reached at (802) 658-2704. If you are a witness to behavior that violates this Code of Conduct, we recommend you take the following actions:

• If there is a threat present, contact the Burlington Police Department – 911 or (802) 658-2704.
• Sit with the victim and ask “how can I help?”
• Provide the victim with emergency contact information if needed
• Communicate with the event organizers about what happened and how to handle it

Again, please contact us when an incident occurs. The email, info@uxburlington.com, goes directly to the organizers.

If you feel you have been falsely or unfairly accused of violating this Code of Conduct, you should notify the conference organizers with a concise description of your grievance. When reporting a grievance please provide the following information in writing:

• When it happened
• What happened
• The context surrounding the grievance
• Who caused the grievance
• Who else was involved

We expect all community participants (contributors, paid or otherwise; sponsors; and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct in all community venues—online and in- person—as well as in all one-on-one communications pertaining to community business.

The main email to reach all conference organizers at once is info@uxburlington.com. Additionally, you can contact organizers individually if you feel more comfortable. Feel free to contact us directly with any questions, suggestions, or concerns.

This Code of Conduct is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license Adapted from the Citizen Code of Conduct, Pycon Attendee Procedure for incident handling and Pycon Staff Procedure for incident handling on 16 February 2014.