Code of Conduct

Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes Anti-Harassment Policy*

Approved by the International Advisory Board, December 16, 2019.

The Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes [CHCI] is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment for all participants in all of its activities, free from harassment based on age, race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, religion, language, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, health conditions, socioeconomic status, marital status, domestic status, or parental status. All members and participants in CHCI activities are expected to engage in consensual and respectful behavior and to preserve the CHCI’s standard of professionalism at all times. They are also expected to abide by this Anti-Harassment Policy in all venues, including conferences, meetings, institutes, and ancillary events, as well as at official and unofficial social gatherings, by telephone, or through electronic communication.

Harassment may consist of a single intense and severe act or of multiple persistent or pervasive acts that are demeaning, abusive, or offensive, and create a hostile environment.

Harassment may include sexual solicitation, physical advance, or verbal or non-verbal conduct that is sexual in nature. It can also include discriminatory remarks or actions based on an individual’s sex, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal comment or physical conduct of a sexual nature, including situations in which the request or conduct involves any implied or expressed promise of professional reward for complying; or the request or conduct involves any implied or expressed threat of reprisal or denial of opportunity for refusing to comply; or the request or conduct results in what reasonably may be perceived as a hostile or intimidating environment. Harassment is not only sexual. It may also include threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts; circulation of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility toward an individual or group; epithets, slurs, or negative stereotyping based on group identity. The victim of harassment can be anyone affected by the offensive conduct, not just the individual at whom the conduct is directed. In sum, harassment refers to behavior that reasonably situated persons would regard as not welcome and as personally intimidating, hostile, or offensive.

This anti-harassment policy will be clearly and prominently displayed on the CHCI website. All participants in CHCI-sponsored activities, including the annual meeting, will be expected to comply with this policy.