Each week in the summer
and winter sessions, the Aspen Center for
Physics (ACP) welcomes a diverse community
of researchers to work on open problems
and share ideas and results about the most
exciting topics in physics and related
fields. In so doing, the ACP strives to
provide an inclusive environment for all
participants, including attendees,
organizers, ACP staff, and volunteers.
Participants are expected to act
professionally and to treat each other
with respect and consideration to create a
collegial, welcoming environment that
enables open scientific exchange. As this
is a collective responsibility, all
prospective ACP participants must agree to
abide by and uphold this Code of Conduct
as a condition of participation in the
Center’s programs.
Participants will avoid any inappropriate
actions or statements that target
individual characteristics such as ability
status, age, caste, educational
background, ethnicity, gender expression,
gender identity, marital status,
nationality, political affiliation, race,
religious affiliation, sexual orientation,
or any other characteristic protected by
law. Disruptive, discriminatory, or
harassing behavior of any kind will not be
tolerated. Harassment includes, but is not
limited to, inappropriate or intimidating
behavior and language, unwelcome jokes or
comments, unwanted touching or attention,
displaying offensive images, and stalking.
Retaliation of any form against anyone who
reports a violation of this Code or
assists in resolving a situation will not
be tolerated.
Code of Conduct
Implementation
All Aspen Center for Physics (ACP)
participants are empowered to request that
behavior inconsistent with the Code of
Conduct (CoC) be stopped. Participants
asked to cease any such behavior are
expected to comply immediately. Each ACP
workshop or conference will have two
Contact Persons present throughout the
duration of the meeting (their roles are
discussed further below). Violations of
the Code can be reported by any
participant to either of the Contact
Persons (if the participant is in a
workshop or conference) and/or directly to
the ACP Administrative Vice President
(AVP) in person or anonymously at
reportit@aspenphys.org (whether the
participant is in a workshop or conference
or not). To the extent possible, all
verbal and written communications will be
treated confidentially and, if requested
and possible, the anonymity of the
reporter will be preserved. Reports can be
made before, during or after participation
at the Center, and all reports will be
followed up on promptly. This
implementation plan will be reviewed
periodically and updated based on
experience.
Roles of the Workshop/Conference
Contact Persons
Each ACP summer
workshop and winter conference will at all
times during the meeting have two
designated Contact Persons in residence in
Aspen, appointed in advance by the
workshop or conference organizers with the
approval of the ACP President, who agree
to serve in these roles. The Contact
Persons shall receive and will be expected
to familiarize themselves with appropriate
training material and guidelines from the
Center. The names, residence dates, and
contact information for the Contact
Persons shall be made known to the
workshop/conference participants by the
organizers prior to each week of the
meeting. The Contact Persons shall be
available to workshop/conference
participants who are experiencing
conflicts or disputes with other ACP
participants. Participants may contact
either or both of the Contact Persons. The
Contact Persons will work with the
participants who consult them to identify
options for managing and resolving
disputes and conflicts. This includes
providing advice and support and
potentially acting as mediators to help
resolve the situation. Regardless of the
outcome, the Contact Persons will promptly
inform the AVP of the events, so that the
Center is aware and has a record, the
contents of which will only be accessible
to the relevant ACP officers (see below).
The Contact Persons may also recommend to
the AVP that the Center take action to
deal with someone who has violated the
CoC.
Roles of the ACP Administrative Vice
President, ACP President, and Board of
Trustees
Any ACP participant (workshop/conference
participant or individual researcher not
affiliated with a workshop) who wishes to
discuss or report a violation of the CoC
can communicate in confidence directly to
the AVP through the channels discussed
above. The AVP may thus be contacted
either directly by a participant or
indirectly by the Contact Persons. In the
former case, the AVP will provide advice
and support and may also consult with the
Contact Person(s) (if the participant is
in a workshop or conference) on possible
courses of action. If potential action by
the Center is warranted, the AVP will
bring the situation to the attention of
the ACP President, who can consult the ACP
Board of Trustees (or the Trustees
Executive Committee). The ACP President,
on behalf of the Board, will communicate
the Center’s action (or lack of action)
along with its rationale to the party or
parties as appropriate.
