The open exchange of ideas is central to the mission of research meetings. This requires an environment that embraces diversity and provides a safe, welcoming environment for all.
This policy applies to all research-related meetings such as seminars, conferences, workshops, etc. It also applies to all related official and unofficial social gatherings, even those outside the meeting venue.
Expected behaviour
We expect all participants at Research Meetings in the Department of Mathematics at the London School of Economics to abide by this policy:
- Exercise respect in your speech and actions.
- Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behaviour and speech
- Be mindful of your surroundings and your fellow participants. For example, others may hear inappropriate comments even if they are not your intended audience.
- Alert organisers or other community leaders and get involved (if safe and possible) when you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this policy, even if they seem inconsequential.
Unacceptable behaviour
- Abuse: Any action directed at an individual that (a) interferes substantially with that person’s participation; or (b) causes that person to fear for their safety. This includes threats, intimidation, bullying, stalking, or other types of abuse.
- Discriminatory Harassment: Any conduct that discriminates or denigrates an individual based on race, ethnicity, religion, citizenship, nationality, age, sexual or gender identity, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.
- Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Specific unacceptable behaviours include, but are not limited to:
- Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning speech or actions by any participant in a research meeting, at all related events, and in one-on-one communications carried out in the context of research meetings.
- Offensive, degrading, humiliating, harmful, or prejudicial verbal or written comments or visual images related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability, age, appearance, or other personal characteristics.
- Inappropriate or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, or other verbal/physical conduct of a sexual nature, particularly when one individual has authority over the other.
- Inappropriate touching of an individual’s body.
- Degrading or humiliating comments about an individual’s appearance.
- Inappropriate or gratuitous use of nudity, sexual images, or stereotyped images, including using an activity-related communication channel to display or distribute sexually explicit or otherwise offensive or discriminatory images or messages.
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following.
- Harassing photography or recording.
- Sustained disruption of talks or other events.
- Physical assault (including unwelcome touch or groping).
- Real or implied threat of physical harm.
- Real or implied threat of professional or financial damage or harm.
Harassment can occur when there is no deliberate intention to offend. Be careful with the words that you choose. Harassment committed in a jokey manner or disguised as a compliment still constitutes unacceptable behaviour. Remember that sexist, racist, and other exclusionary jokes can be offensive to those around you.
Contacts
If you feel that you have experienced harassment or witnessed an incident involving harassment, you are encouraged to approach one of the following contacts:
- The organisers of the research meeting
- The LSE Mathematics Department EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Officer, Professor Andrew Lewis-Pye, A.Lewis7@lse.ac.uk;
- The LSE Mathematics Head of Department, Professor Jan van den Heuvel, J.van-den-heuvel@lse.ac.uk.
The contacts can:
- Provide support and advice to navigate the situation.
- Take measures to help ensure your safety if you feel at risk.
- Explain to you what procedures are available to you to make a formal complaint, should you decide to do that.
The contacts will keep the matter strictly confidential if you request so. However, there are situations where safety will require further actions.
Other useful links
Consequences of unacceptable behaviour
If a participant at a seminar engages in any prohibited behaviour, the meeting organisers or LSE authorities reserve the right to take any action deemed to be appropriate. Such action will be taken to ensure the physical and emotional safety of all attendees. This can include forbidding a participant from future participation in events organised by the Department of Mathematics.
This Code of Conduct is based on the recommendations of the SafeTOC report to combat harassment and discrimination in the Theory of Computing community.
*Effective from November 2022 for all meetings in the department*