CSEE 2025 Code of Conduct

Introduction

This code of conduct is based on the code developed by Local Organizing Committees of the 2023 and 2024 meetings, along with executive members of CSEE, for CSEE 2019, CSEE 2020, with some material adopted from the ESA/CSEE 2022 code of conduct, and reflects the principles established in the CSEE Diversity and Inclusivity Statement. This code of conduct applies to all activities that are organized as part of the CSEE meeting in Sherbrooke, QC. CSEE represents the Canadian Society of Ecology and Evolution and the Canadian Botanical Association.

The CSEE and the organizers of the CSEE 2025 meeting are committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment, and to promoting lively and open discussion among participants at CSEE 2025. A commitment from all participants to uphold the code of conduct will allow for a safe, open, and productive exchange of scientific ideas, to the benefit of all attendees.

By attending this event you agree to abide by this code of conduct. This code applies to your interactions with all participants including, but not limited to: attendees, speakers, staff, service providers, vendors, sponsors, and guests. The code of conduct has been communicated to staff at venues where conference events are hosted.

We strive to create an environment at CSEE 2025 where individuals experiencing unacceptable behaviour can feel safe reporting such incidents. If you are the subject of unacceptable behaviour or witness such behaviour, we encourage you to file a complaint.

The Code will be posted in both English and French. However, in the event of any conflict between the two versions, the English wording will have precedence.

The Local Organizing Committee

CSEE 2025

Authorship

All authors listed on a presentation or abstract must agree to the submission and delivery of the contribution.

Submission of a presentation to CSEE 2025 indicates the intent of one of the listed authors to attend the meeting. Repeated or consecutive last-minute cancellations may result in the denial of future submissions.

Photography and Recording

Photography, videography or audio recording of presentations or posters without the explicit permission of the presenter is not allowed.

Expected Behaviour

To create and foster a safe, welcoming space for the diversity of all attendees at CSEE 2025, we expect our attendees to behave appropriately. Expected behaviour includes:

· Treating all other participants with kindness, respect, and consideration.

· Communicating openly and with respect for others, and in the language of your choice.

· Refraining from personal attacks.

· Critiquing ideas, not people.

· Alerting the meeting organizers or venue staff if you notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.

· Respecting the rules and policies of the venue.

Unacceptable behaviour

Harassment in any form will not be tolerated. Harassment is defined as systematic, continued unwanted and annoying actions of one party to another.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to: offensive gestures or speech related to ethnicity, religion, disability, health condition, appearance, gender, sexual orientation, family status, career status, or social status, as well as deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, unwanted photography or recording, sustained disruption of presentations and events, unwelcome attention or physical contact. This includes sexual harassment which is unwelcome verbal, written, or physical attention (including actions designed to intimidate or coerce), and includes unwanted and unnecessary touching or other physical contact, comments, suggestions, or questions regarding sexual activity, and using degrading words, images, or sounds to describe a person.

Individuals who are asked to stop harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately.

Other examples of unacceptable behaviour include:

· Physical or verbal abuse of any participant.

· Unwelcome or offensive verbal comments or exclusionary behavior related to age, appearance or body size, employment or military status, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, individual lifestyle, marital status, national origin, physical or cognitive ability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, race, or religion.

· Inappropriate physical contact.

· Engaging in discrimination against persons or groups.

· Use of sexual or discriminatory images in public spaces or in presentations.

· Bullying behaviour.

· Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following.

· Retaliation for reporting of unacceptable behaviour.

· Advocating for or encouraging any of the above-mentioned behaviours.

Unacceptable behaviour explained as attempted humour or disguised as humour still constitutes unacceptable behaviour as defined above.

Impairment from alcohol, cannabis, or illegal substances is not an excuse for unacceptable behaviour.

Immediate serious threat to safety

Anyone experiencing or witnessing behaviour that is an immediate threat to personal or public safety should contact local law enforcement (by calling 911) and immediately notify venue security.

Filing a Complaint About Unacceptable Behaviour

If you are the subject of unacceptable behaviour, or have witnessed such behaviour, please immediately notify a CSEE 2025 organizer or one of the trained Code of Conduct Advocates. Advocates will be wearing identification to assist you in identifying them.

Complaints should not be made via social media. This is to ensure the confidentiality and fairness of the complaints process, and to ensure that complaints are received by Code of Conduct Advocates in a timely manner.

Notification may be done on-site or by emailing your concern to csee2025@gmail.com. Regardless of whether a notification is made, you are encouraged to document the incident in writing and in complete detail as soon as possible in the event that a complaint must be made.

Response to complaints

All complaints will be kept confidential to the extent that is possible. Names of complainants will not be shared with the CSEE boards of directors when determining the consequences of complaint.

You may submit an anonymous complaint. The CSEE will retain anonymous complaints, however, the societies will not be able to take action on a single anonymous complaint without further corroboration.

All complaints will be documented, regardless of whether any disciplinary action occurs.

All complaints will be assessed. This may include gathering details and information from the complainant, the target (if not the complainant), and witnesses. The complainant or target will not be expected to discuss the incident with the offending party. Outcomes of assessments will not be made public but those filing complaints may request to be informed of the outcome.

Complaint assessments shall be the responsibility of a person or committee to be appointed by the CSEE board of directors before the conference.

In addition to any actions taken at CSEE 2025, violators of this code of conduct will receive a written documentation of actions taken in response to a complaint. This documentation may also be forwarded to the employer, home institution or agency of the violator.

The CSEE board of directors shall be responsible for implementing all responses and sanctions that may be decided on following a complaint.

Consequences

The CSEE reserve the right to remove an individual from CSEE 2025 without warning or refund, prohibit attendance at future meetings of the societies, rescind memberships in the societies, and notify an individual’s employer for failing to abide by this Code of Conduct.

Requests to appeal sanctions imposed consequent to this code of conduct may be made after the meeting conclusion to the appropriate Society President, who will appoint an appeals committee.

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