Code of Conduct for Annual and Regional Meetings

CSPB/SCBV is committed to ensuring that the meeting is a welcoming and inclusive space for sharing ideas and knowledge.

To this end, we will provide a safe and productive environment that promotes equal opportunity and treatment for all participants and that is free of harassment and discrimination.

This code of conduct applies to all CSPB/SCBV meeting attendees, speakers, exhibitors, staff, contractors, volunteers, and guests.

What is Harassment?

All forms of harassment, sexual or otherwise, are prohibited. Among the behaviours that will not be tolerated are the following:

Speech that is not welcome or that is personally offensive, whether it is based on ethnicity, race, gender, age, body size, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other reason unrelated to scientific merit.
Deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome attention.

Behaviour that is acceptable to one person may not be acceptable to another, so we ask that you use discretion to be sure that respect is communicated. Harassment intended in a joking manner nevertheless constitutes unacceptable behavior. Retaliation for reporting harassment is also a violation of this policy, as is reporting an incident in bad faith.

Reporting Harassment

Any harassment, whether experienced directly or witnessed, should be reported promptly to a member of the CSPB/SCBV local organizing committee.

All complaints will be taken seriously and responded to promptly. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent that it does not compromise the rights of others.

What We Will Do

Once we have received a harassment complaint, we will promptly:
• Meet privately with the complainant to discuss the details of the situation they encountered.

• Meet with the alleged offender.
• Report findings to the CSPB/SCBV president who will determine next steps.
• Consult with the complainant before taking any action.
• Seek legal counsel as appropriate.

CSPB/SCBV reserves the right to remove an individual from the meeting without warning or refund, prohibit attendance at future meetings, and notify the individual’s employer.

Social Media Policy

The CSPB/SCBV encourages the use of social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and blogging, as ways to engage the community in events.

When sharing information, we ask that you refrain from:

Capturing, transmitting, or redistributing the bulk of the material presented in a session. Doing so infringes on the intellectual property rights of the speakers.
Blogging, posting, recording, photographing, digitally capturing, and/or tweeting about any of the content in a plenary lecture, scientific session, workshop, etc. when the organizer or speaker has explicitly requested that the information being presented is not to be captured or shared.
Photographing or digitally capturing posters by presenters who have requested (visually or verbally) that the content not be captured or shared.

We encourage you to:

Blog, post, and tweet highlights about the conference.
Suggest sessions and workshops to attend and events to enjoy; discuss exemplary speakers and posters; chat about sponsors and exhibitors.
Provide feedback to any CSPB/SCBV organizing staff member - perhaps discuss topics and/or speakers of interest for another conference, make suggestions for sessions, or comment on the format.
Respect the wishes of speakers regarding social media sharing if they have indicated they do not want their materials to be shared.

If you are a speaker or poster presenter at the CSPB/SCBV virtual meeting:

Please remember that the plant science community is very active on social media, and you are presenting your research at your own risk for the benefit and education of this community.
If you do not want your research to be shared on social media, you must make it very clear by making a statement to that effect at the beginning and end of your presentation (at minimum) and on your poster by whatever means are available.
CSPB/SCBV cannot be held liable for any claims of damages as a result of social media sharing of any content presented at annual meeting, whether virtual or in person.

For any questions about the policy, please contact:

CSPB/SCBV President

president@cspb-scbv.ca

This Code of Conduct was adapted from the Code of Conduct developed for the Plant Biology 2018 Meeting organized by ASPB, CSPB/SCBV, and ISPR (2018).

This Social Media Policy was adapted from the Code of Conduct developed for the Plant Biology 2021 Meeting organized by ASPB (2022).

CSPB/SCBV requires all participants to read and agree to this Code of Conduct and Social Media Policy as part of the meeting registration process.