SEA reminds everyone: Our annual conference is convened for the purposes of professional development and scholarly educational interchange in the spirit of free inquiry and free expression. Harassment of colleagues, students, or other conference participants undermines the principle of equity at the heart of these professional fora and is inconsistent with the principles of free inquiry and free expression. Consequently, harassment is considered by SEA to be a serious form of professional misconduct.
The following Anti-Harassment Policy (adapted from the American Sociological Association’s ethical code of conduct, with ASA’s permission) outlines expectations for all those who attend or participate in SEA meetings. It reminds SEA meeting participants that all professional academic ethics and norms apply as standards of behavior and interaction at these meetings.
Purpose: SEA is committed to providing a safe and welcoming conference environment for all participants, free from harassment based on age, race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, religion, language, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, health conditions, socioeconomic status, marital status, domestic status, or parental status (hereafter, simply harassment). “Participant” in this policy refers to anyone present at SEA meetings, including staff, contractors, vendors, exhibitors, venue staff, SEA members, and all other attendees.
Expected Behavior: All participants at SEA meetings are expected to abide by this Anti-Harassment Policy in all meeting venues including ancillary events as well as official and unofficial social gatherings.
If you witness potential harm to a conference participant, be proactive in helping to mitigate or avoid that harm. Alert conference personnel or law enforcement if you see a situation in which someone might be in imminent physical danger.
Harassment of any participant is unethical behavior. Harassment may consist of a single intense and severe act or of multiple persistent or pervasive acts which are demeaning, abusive, or offensive, or create a hostile professional or workplace environment. Harassment may include sexual solicitation, physical advance, or verbal or non-verbal conduct that is sexual in nature; it may also include threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts; circulation of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility toward an individual or group; epithets, slurs, or negative stereotyping based on group identity.
Attendees are encouraged to immediately report instances of harassment during the annual conference to any officer or SEA board member. Reports will be treated as confidential. Violations of this policy may lead to an individual’s immediate removal from the conference and/or being barred from subsequent meetings.
Sociology of Education Association 