Code-Of-Conduct

To make clear what is expected, all members, committee, and speakers at any Netsoc event are required to conform to the following Code of Conduct which also applies to all interactions on social media, Discord, YouTube and Twitch comments.

Our Pledge

We as UCD Netsoc committee members pledge to make participation in our society a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community. Our community is based on mutual respect, tolerance, and encouragement, and we are working to help each other live up to these principles. We want our community to be more diverse: whoever you are, and whatever your background, we welcome you.

We encourage everyone to participate and are committed to building a community for all. Although we will fail at times, we seek to treat everyone both as fairly and equally as possible. Whenever a participant has made a mistake, we expect them to take responsibility for it. If someone has been harmed or offended, it is our responsibility to listen carefully and respectfully, and do our best to right the wrong.

Why do we have a Code of Conduct?

The purpose of the Code of Conduct is not to burden the community with a bunch of needless rules, or to give us a punishment mechanism for people "being bad," or even to correct things that have been wrong in the past.

This Code of Conduct is designed to help all of us build a positive community experience for everyone, regardless of age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion (or lack thereof), education, or socio-economic status.

The Code of Conduct

These rules are in place so that everyone can feel comfortable participating in UCD Netsoc. If you think they need editing or don't cover something important, please send a pull request to start the discussion.

Harassment in any form will not be tolerated. Harassment includes but is not limited to:

• Offensive and discriminatory comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, race, age, regional discrimination, political or religious affiliation - this includes (but is not limited to) various slurs
• Offensive comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment
• Deliberate misgendering. This includes deadnaming (using the name that a transgender person was given at birth and no longer uses upon transitioning) or persistently using a pronoun that does not correctly reflect a person's gender identity. You must address people by the name they give you when not addressing them by their username
• Physical contact and simulated physical contact (eg, textual descriptions like “hug” or “backrub”) without consent or after a request to stop
• Threats of violence, both physical and psychological
• Incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm
• Deliberate intimidation by actions
• Stalking (unwanted or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person)
• Photography, recording or logging (noting of their activities online or in person) of a person without consent.
• Exclusion of anybody from discussions
• Unwelcome sexual attention, including gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behaviour
• Pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others
• Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease
• Deliberate revealing of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent except as necessary to protect others from intentional abuse
• Publication of private communication (excluding the presentation of evidence to authority figures including UCD Report + Support reportandsupport.ucd.ie)

Our Standards (Example Guidelines)

Examples of behavior that contributes to creating a positive environment include:

• Using welcoming and inclusive language
• Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences. Constructive criticism and disagreements are welcome, but all discussions here should be civil, kind, and thoughtful.
• Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
• Focusing on what is best for the community
• Showing empathy towards other community members

Examples of unacceptable behavior include:

• The use of sexualized language or imagery and unwelcome sexual attention or advances, including when simulated online. The only exception to sexual topics is channels/spaces specifically for topics of sexual identity.
• Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, on any person/group
• Public or private harassment
• Publishing others’ private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission. This includes any sort of "outing" of any aspect of someone's identity without their consent.
• Unsolicited explanations under the assumption that someone doesn't already know it. Ask before you teach! Don't assume what people's knowledge gaps are.
• Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting
• Any of the above even when presented as "ironic" or "joking".

If you say something that is found offensive, and you are called out on it, let’s:

• Listen without interruption.
• Believe what the person is saying & do not attempt to disqualify what they have to say.
• Ask for tips / help with avoiding making the offense in the future.
• Apologize and ask forgiveness.

Scope

This Code of Conduct applies within all UCD Netsoc spaces, and also applies when an individual is officially representing the community in public spaces. Examples of representing our community include using an official e-mail address, posting via an official social media account, or acting as an appointed representative at an online or offline event.

FAQs

What should I do if I see someone violating the Code of Conduct?

Talk to a committee member at an event, directly message or ping a committee member on Discord, message our social media pages or email [email protected].

Can I contribute and improve this code of conduct?

Yes, send us a pull request with your suggestions. The UCD Netsoc committee also has the right to remove, edit, or reject comments, commits, code, issues, and other contributions.

Enforcement

Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported by talking to a committee member at an event, directly messaging a committee member via Discord, messaging our social media pages or by emailing [email protected]. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances. The committee is obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident.

Members who do not follow or enforce the Code of Conduct in good faith may face temporary or permanent repercussions as determined by committee vote based on this document of rules. Examples of punishment include:

1. Informal warning: Warning of potential breaking of the rules, usually kept between committee and a member. Intended as a precaution.

2. Formal warning: Same as above, but will be logged for consideration before future punishments. There is no formal number of warnings required before more serious punishment.

3. Temporary ban: Expulsion for a set period of time. Duration of the ban is at the committee’s discretion.

4. Permanent ban: Permanent ban. Applied when the breaking of the rules is too extreme or after several repeated offenses.

Sometimes, participants violating the Code of Conduct are unaware that their behavior is harmful, and an open conversation clears things up to move forward. However, if a participant continues with the behavior, the UCD Netsoc committee may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including removal of membership and expulsion from all UCD Netsoc spaces.

Thank you for reading this and helping us make our society a welcoming, friendly community for all.

Attribution & Acknowledgements

We'd like to thank the communities and projects that established code of conducts and diversity statements as our inspiration:

• Django
• Python
• Ubuntu
• Contributor Covenant
• Geek Feminism