CHESS Code of Conduct

The purpose of the CHESS Code of Conduct is to ensure that all activities conducted or supported by the research school follow the accepted ethics, rules, and guidelines of the Norwegian Equality and Anti-discrimination Act. This is a guideline and does not imply legal obligation on the part of CHESS with respect to its members.

CHESS aims to create an inclusive environment. No one shall experience discrimination or harassment based on characteristics that include, but are not limited to, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion and beliefs, functional abilities, sexual orientation, and age.

This Code of Conduct applies to all CHESS courses and activities, hereafter referred to as CHESS events. CHESS event organizers are committed to providing a safe, productive, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all event participants. All participants, including attendees, speakers, lecturers, and service providers, are expected to abide by the CHESS Code of Conduct. Violation of these rules is considered a misconduct and CHESS has the right to terminate the membership of the alleged party and take further appropriate action.

All members of CHESS are expected to:

Treat all event participants with equal respect and courtesy.
Critique of ideas rather than individuals.
Avoid personal attacks directed toward other participants and organizations.
Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants.

Unacceptable behavior includes, but is not limited to:

bullying
coercion
deliberate disruption of events
verbal or sexual harassment
inappropriate physical contact
deliberate intimidation
denigrating comments or jokes
censorship and plagiarism
stalking and photography or recording of an individual without consent
using CHESS events to pursue a political agenda

Those behaviors will not be tolerated.

Follow-up action with breach of the Code of Conduct

If an incident of unacceptable conduct occurs during a CHESS event, the affected person and/or witness(es) to the misconduct is/are encouraged to report it immediately to CHESS leadership (post@chess.uib.no). Once alerted, CHESS leadership will take appropriate actions to gather details and discuss with the affected party and/or witness(es). CHESS leadership will then give the alleged offender the opportunity to be heard and to respond to the allegation before further action is determined. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent that it does not compromise the rights of any party.