1. Purpose

A primary goal of Sculpted Light in the Brain is to be inclusive to the largest number of contributors, with the most varied and diverse backgrounds possible. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, and religion (or lack thereof).

This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our conferences, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.

We invite all those who participate in Sculpted Light in the Brain to help us create safe and positive experiences for everyone.

2. Expected Behavior

The following behaviors are expected and requested of all conference attendees:

• Participate in an authentic and active way. In doing so, you contribute to the health and longevity of this field.
• Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions. This means listening, and not interrupting.
• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
  Exercise kindness and inclusion. This should be a place to meet new people and exchange ideas.
• SLB is a positive consent conference. This means that you should not touch another person without their verbal permission to do so. And really you shouldn’t be touching that many people in the first place.
• Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert conference organizers leaders if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.
• Don’t be a jerk. Science is hard enough, be nice to each other.
• By all means, have a few drinks, but remember that you are in a professional environment, and that the standards for acceptable behavior remain the same regardless of how many drinks you’ve had.

3. Unacceptable Behavior

The following behaviors are unacceptable within our community:

• Violence, threats of violence or violent language directed against another person.
• Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
• Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material.
• Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”).
• Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
• Inappropriate photography or recording of presentations or posters.
• Inappropriate physical contact. You should have someone’s positive consent before touching them in any way.
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).
• Advocating for, encouraging, or conspiring to hide any of the above behavior.
• Sustained disruption of community events, including talks and presentations.
• Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes, sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping, and unwelcome sexual advances. (Really, you’d be shocked at how few people go to conferences for sex, so just assume that all sexual advances are unwelcome and don’t do them. If somebody actually likes you, they’ll probably meet you AFTER the conference, AWAY from a professional environment.)

4. Weapons Policy

No weapons will be allowed at Sculpted Light in the Brain events, community spaces, or in other spaces covered by the scope of this Code of Conduct. Weapons include but are not limited to guns, explosives (including fireworks), and large knives such as those used for hunting or display, as well as any other item used for the purpose of causing injury or harm to others. Anyone seen in possession of one of these items will be asked to leave immediately, and will only be allowed to return without the weapon. Community members are further expected to comply with all state and local laws on this matter. Leave your class IV lasers in the lab.

5. Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Unacceptable behavior from any conference attendee, including sponsors, speakers, volunteers, and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated.

Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.
If an attendee engages in unacceptable behavior, the organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the conference without warning (and without refund or reimbursement in the case of a paid event).

6. Reporting guidelines

If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify a conference organizer as soon as possible.

Sculpted Light in the Brain’s disciplinary policies are as follows: any organizer can issue a warning to any community member who has engaged in unacceptable behavior. If the behavioral issue persists, the organizers can vote to expel that person from the event without refund or reimbursement with a simple majority. A warning, if issued, is a courtesy, and the organizers can vote to expel any member from the event without refund or reimbursement without a warning if the organizers deems that the unacceptable behavior merits this action.

Additionally, the organizers are available to help community members engage with local law enforcement or to otherwise help those experiencing unacceptable behavior feel safe. In the context of in-person events, organizers will also provide escorts as desired by the person experiencing distress.

Unacceptable behavior is grounds for being denied registration to future conferences or events.

7. Addressing Grievances

If you feel you have been falsely or unfairly accused of violating this Code of Conduct, you should notify the organizers with a concise description of your grievance. The organizers will investigate the situation and respond accordingly.

8. Scope

We expect all community participants (contributors, paid or otherwise; sponsors; and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct at all times during the conference regardless of where you are physically located. To be clear, harassing somebody in the privacy of your own hotel room is still violating this code of conduct!

This code of conduct and its related procedures also applies to unacceptable behavior occurring outside the scope of community activities when such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members.

9. Contact Information

The organizers can be reached at SculptedLightInTheBrain@gmail.com, or in person on the conference site. Names and pictures of the organizers are available at https://www.sculptedlight.org.

10. License and attribution

This Code of Conduct is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

Large portions of this text are derived from the Citizen Code of Conduct.