11. Code of Conduct

Purpose and Scope

1. The Club is committed to provide and maintain a safe, friendly, and welcoming environment, free from harassment and discrimination, to all members of the University of Waterloo community who are interested in Computer Science.
2. We expect everyone who gets involved with the Club's business, including guests, to abide by this Code of Conduct in all community venues, in-person or online, as well as in all one-on-one communications pertaining to the Club's business.
3. The Code of Conduct does NOT cover criminal matters. In case of any threats or acts of physical violence, or any emergency situation that needs immediate assistance, please contact UW Special Constable Service at ext. 22222 or direct line 519-888-4911, or contact local police if off-campus.
4. The Code of Conduct is in addition to existing University Policies, such as Policy 33, 34, and 42. Initiating a Code of Conduct complaint does NOT exclude other paths, such as filing complaints to the MathSoc or the University according to relevant policies, or going to UW Special Constable Service.

Expected Behaviour

1. We encourage all members of the community to:
   • Participate in an authentic and active way. In doing so, you contribute to the health and longevity of this Club.
   • Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
   • Assume good faith of each other, attempt collaboration before conflict.
   • Be mindful of your surroundings and of other fellow members of the community.

Unacceptable Behaviour

1. Unacceptable behaviours include intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning speech or actions at any venue of the community.
2. Harassment may include:
   • harmful or prejudicial verbal or written comments related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability, etc;
   • inappropriate use of nudity 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 or unwelcome sexual attention.
3. For purposes of this procedure, please refer to the University Policy 33 and the Ontario Human Rights Code for definition of terms, such as “harassment” and “discrimination”.

Enforcement

1. The following personnel of the Club are entitled to enforce the Code of Conduct:
   • any Office Staff, for incidents witnessed in the office;
   • any appointed moderators, for online venues of the Club;
   • the Event Coordinator(s), for an in-person event of the Club;
   • any Officer of the Club, for all of the above and any other cases.
2. An enforcement could be implemented by issuing either or both of the following:
   • a verbal warning,
   • a temporary ban from the offended venue, for 1 week at maximum.
3. The Executive shall be notified of any enforcement of the Code of Conduct within the same day. The Executive may reverse the sanction or escalate the case as a complaint as deemed necessary.
4. If you notice any unaddressed violations of the Code of Conduct, please notify a corresponding enforcement personnel to help maintain a safe place for everyone. No situation is considered inconsequential.

Handling Complaints

1. If the Executive, or any member of the community, feel that the enforcement alone cannot sufficiently address the situation of certain violation, or if any subject of an enforcement wants a formal review, contact the Executive Council of the Club to file a formal complaint.
   1. If contacting the Executive Council is inappropriate due to the nature of the incident, you may contact the Faculty Advisor instead.
2. Upon each complaint, a Handling Committee, consisting of all Officers and the Faculty Advisor of the Club, unless they are personally involved in or related to the situation, should be formed and chaired by the President, the Vice-President, or the Faculty Advisor in order.
3. The Handling Committee should interview the subject of the complaint and any witnesses if possible, then use their best judgment to determine if the complaint is valid and, if so, determine any appropriate action to resolve the case and avoid a subsequent incident:
   • A written warning.
   • Suspension from any spaces and events of the Club for 3 months or the rest of the term, whichever is longer.
   • Removal from any internal positions.
     • If the subject is an Officer, a motion to the pending general meeting for removal of the subject from the position
   • If the case is very serious, or the subject has a pattern of similar offences, expulsion from the Club.
     • The subject will be refunded the membership fee paid in advance for future terms
     • The Executive may review the expulsion once a year at the subject's request, to see if it's appropriate to reinstate the subject.
   • Filing a formal complaint through the MathSoc, the Federation, or the University.
4. The chair of the Handling Committee shall inform both the complainant and the subject of the resolution of the complaint and, if either of them disagree with the decision, they are entitled to appeal to the MathSoc, the Federation, or the University.
5. The complaints must be handled confidentially. Information that may be made available to general members upon request for public interest shall be strictly limited to:
   • the date the complaint was made,
   • the name and WatIAM of the subject,
   • the members of the Handling Committee,
   • the decision on the complaint, if made, and
   • the date the decision was made.
6. In addition to the information mentioned above, the Faculty Advisor may also keep the name and WatIAM of the complainant and a summary of the complaint. This information may be available to Officers upon handling future complaints if the Faculty Advisor deems it relevant.