What is a code of conduct?
A code of conduct (CoC) establishes standards of behavior for all attendees of an event. It is typically a short 1-2 page document written in clear, accessible, and concise terms, and may be accompanied by a longer more legalese version.
Typically a code of conduct:
- Defines the scope of its coverage: who is bound by the code of conduct, and when/where?
- Defines what counts as harassment, bullying, discrimination, and other inappropriate behaviors. Our current moment has been focused on gender-based and race-based misconduct, and it’s very important to explicitly mention those two as within the scope of the CoC, this is also a space to be inclusive of other forms of misconduct, identity-based or individual targeted, as well.
- Explains a variety of options to respond to or report misconduct that you’ve experienced or witnessed at the event. Providing a range of options empowers those who have experienced misconduct by providing flexibility and control over what to do next. Options can include (non-exhaustive): anonymous reporting (eg tournament-specific report/feedback form, paper slip in feedback box), on-site advocates, designated point persons, or event officials who can receive reports privately (+info about where/how to find them; note there should be multiple such people in case the person in question is involved in the incident), a phone number or email to contact either during the event or after the event, reporting to community-wide misconduct form for individual organizations to assess/take action (misconduct form), school/campus/hotel/site security number, 911 (or equivalent emergency number in your country), national hotlines.
- Each of those options should explain who receives/assesses the report (including whether the report is shared with additional parties, such as if someone is a mandatory reporter), how much information is divulged (eg anonymous or not), and by what criteria reports are evaluated.
- Describes an escalating set of consequences for incidents of increasing severity.
A code of conduct immediately sets a unified set of expectations and norms for behavior for all participants, establishing a common ground on which the event operates. Without explicit guidelines, attendees may have differing implicit ideas for what constitutes misconduct, or differing expectations about what may or may not be appropriate in the space.
By clearly enforcing guidelines for behavior, a code of conduct can create a more comfortable environment for people to join and participate in, and signal institutional commitment to the value of an inclusive atmosphere. On a practical level, a code of conduct may deter and reduce incidents of misconduct, help event staff identify and respond to misconduct, and proactively signal institutional support to those who may experience misconduct.
A code of conduct may be referenced in a gameplay rules document, but I encourage keeping it a separate document. Gameplay rules tend to be extremely long and technical documents that most participants do not read, and typically govern only players in the context of gameplay, rather than all attendees in the context of the broader event.
In the academic world, many societies and organization have adopted CoCs for annual conferences over the past few years. The National Science Foundation (NSF) since early 2019 requires all NSF-funded conferences to have a CoC. Here are some relevant articles from academia: what CoCs are plus examples, journal article on why CoCs are important, FAQs about CoCs, and a v basic template CoC.
Event-specific things to consider
Who is attending/participating in your event? Will there be minors present? (Keep in mind that there are particular privacy issues to address with handling reports from minors, and that some attendees [eg teachers] may be mandatory reporters in this context.) Where is your event occurring (school/hotel/etc, state/country laws)?
How will your event be taking place? What is the structure of your event? What is the scope of the CoC – what events will it cover? The most straightforward scope is of event attendees’ behavior on-site at the tournament during official tournament time. But also consider whether or not the CoC extends to additional spaces/times, including events that happen: on lunch break (on-site vs off-site), during transit to/from the tournament (flight, car, public transit, hotel shuttle, walking…), in lodging for a tournament (hotel room, someone’s apartment, etc), side events, after-parties… And it might be worthwhile to also consider the possibility of incidents involving someone not participating in the event – the range of options and actions is likely more limited, but there may still be some possible responses to offer.
Adopting a code of conduct
Community-wide code of conduct governing multiple tournaments. The idea of a single unified CoC is certainly appealing, and could cut down on each individual TD needing to re-invent the wheel. However, tournaments also vary immensely in many ways (see event-specific things to consider), which would be important to consider. A recent example of a community-wide CoC governing an otherwise anarchic series of local tournaments is the competitive Smash CoC (Twitter updates here, resources behind its creation here, including readings, email templates, and internal training documents).
A variety of organizational forces could also require CoC adoption (potentially of a shared CoC), including mirror coordinators for potential mirrors, set distributors (eg NAQT) for potential tournament sites, or bodies that certify tournaments as qualifiers for another tournament.
Single tournament-specific code of conduct. Tournament-specific CoCs may be appropriate for large major events with unique event-specific circumstances, compared to the typical local tournaments, or for use at the local level until widespread adoption of a shared CoC occurs. Examples include the PACE NSC code of conduct, and CoCs adopted at many academic conferences.
Distributing and enforcing a CoC
To be most effective, the CoC must be prominently distributed and explicitly agreed to by all participants at an event. The prominent distribution of the CoC ensures that all participants are informed of expectations for their conduct (ideally ahead of time), and communicates the organization’s commitment to ensuring a safe environment at the event.
The CoC can be included as a stable reference in tournament announcement posts, official tournament emails, and a club/organization/tournament website.
Typically in the academic world, reading over and agreeing to the CoC is a necessary step in attendee registration for a conference. A similar move might be possible in quizbowl, where teams are asked that every team-affiliated attendee (player, coach, team-affiliated staff) read and agree to the CoC as part of roster submission, and staffers are asked to read and agree to the CoC as part of the staff registration process.
The CoC can also be displayed in a prominent location at the event (eg check-in desk, entrance doors for in-person events; stable easily referenced link for virtual events).
Reminders about the CoC should also be provided at the start of the event for all participants, such as in an opening meeting for players and coaches, and staff meeting for staffers. Equipping staffers with clear knowledge of what constitutes a CoC violation and response options can not only help them feel more comfortable, but also help them manage the game room or tournament environment if they witness a CoC violation.
A CoC does not solve all our community's problems
I am very excited to see the community moving towards a CoC, but I also want to emphasize that the problems the quizbowl community faces are deep and pervasive, and that we must do more. A CoC simply sets forth clear guidelines for all participants on appropriate behavior and what will happen if those guidelines are violated. Adoption of a CoC should be coordinated with a variety of other efforts to make quizbowl a truly inclusive and comfortable place for everyone.
PACE NSC code of conduct
Here's the CoC PACE was planning to use for the 2020 NSC. It's not perfect - if you have feedback, definitely let PACE know at [email protected]! Organizations and other tournament directors are welcome to adapt and borrow from the below for their specific circumstances and needs.
PACE NSC Code of Conduct
Updated December 8, 2019
Purpose
The Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence is dedicated to providing a safe and harassment-free tournament experience for everyone. To achieve this goal, we expect all tournament participants, including staff, players, coaches, parents, and other spectators, to abide by this Code of Conduct. We expect participants to follow these guidelines for the duration of the tournament, both during games and at all other tournament-related venues and events.
Expected behavior
We expect all participants to treat other participants and the event space with respect and courtesy. Participants should be considerate of fellow participants’ diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Participants should be mindful of fellow participants and their surroundings, and be proactive about reporting any potentially prohibited behavior or dangerous situations.
Prohibited behavior
We do not tolerate harassment of tournament participants in any form.
Harassment can take place through many media, including but not limited to: verbal comments, printed or written messages, and electronic messages.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:Consequences for prohibited behavior
- offensive comments related to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, physical appearance, body size, or religion
- deliberate intimidation
- stalking
- following
- unwanted photography or recording
- sustained disruption of games or other tournament events
- inappropriate physical contact
- unwelcome sexual attention
- sexual imagery and language in public spaces
If a participant engages in prohibited behavior, the tournament director may take any action they deem appropriate at their discretion, including a warning or ejection from the tournament without refund. Consequences will be proportionate to the severity and frequency of the violation. If the prohibited behavior is in severe violation of the above list, PACE may prohibit attendance at future PACE tournaments. Tournament participants who are asked to stop any prohibited behavior are expected to comply immediately.
Reporting prohibited behavior
If you are subject to or notice prohibited behavior at the tournament, or have any other concerns, please contact one of our misconduct representatives immediately. Their contact information will be made available in advance of the tournament and in the tournament program. Misconduct representatives can also be identified in person with special nametags. Misconduct representatives record information from the reporter and determine if the reported behavior is prohibited by this Code of Conduct. If they decide the reported action is consistent with the prohibited behavior described above, misconduct representatives provide an anonymized report to the tournament organizers, who will determine what consequences, if any, are appropriate, or if more information is required to make a decision.
There is also an online form that can be submitted to report misconduct. Representatives from four major quizbowl organizations (PACE, NAQT, ACF, and IAC) examine misconduct reports and provide an anonymized statement to the four organizations. If a report is submitted via the online form during the weekend of the tournament, it is unlikely that the committee will be able to review it, or that PACE will be able to take action, before the tournament concludes.
Tournament staff will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the tournament.