AGA CONFERENCE POLICIES

1. Policy on harassment and discrimination

The American Genetic Association (AGA) meetings are intended to foster the exchange of scientific ideas, providing participants with an opportunity to present research findings, establish/renew collaborations, recruit people to their laboratories, and to learn, teach, and network with an international community of geneticists. The AGA is committed to creating an environment where everyone can participate without harassment, discrimination, or violence of any kind.  All meeting participants must be treated with respect and consideration. Registration for the meeting is considered an agreement to abide by this Code of Conduct.

Harassment of any participant (attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, staff member, service provider, organizer, or meeting guest) will not be tolerated. Unacceptable behavior includes (but is not limited to) unwanted verbal attention, unwanted touching, intimidation, stalking, shaming, hurtful sarcasm or bullying. Discrimination on the basis of gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, physical appearance, race, religion, national origin, or ethnicity will not be tolerated. Retaliation for reporting harassment is also unacceptable, as is reporting an incident in bad faith.

People wishing to report a violation of this code of conduct should contact Safety Officer or AGA Allies identified within each meeting. Incidents of harassment and discrimination are taken extremely seriously. Confidentiality will be maintained unless disclosure is legally required.

The meeting organizers, Safety Officers, and AGA Council Members reserve the right to enforce this code of conduct in any manner deemed appropriate for the situation. Anyone violating the code of conduct may be: (a) asked to stop, (b) expelled from the meeting (without refund), and/or (c) prohibited from attending future meetings. Establishing this code of conduct is intended to prevent incidents of harassment, discrimination, or violence, and to maintain the high quality of scientific discourse that our members have come to expect from the AGA meetings.

 

2. Policy on liability

The AGA shall not be responsible for any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct on the part of participants at any AGA event, and shall not be held liable for personal injury, property damage, theft or damage of any kind suffered by the participants at or in connection with an AGA meeting such as the President