Code of Conduct

Version 1.0.0, 2023-05-09

The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group (PPG) is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, welcoming, and harassment-free experience for everyone.

We strive to cultivate a community with shared values, where people are comfortable exploring ideas, asking questions, and saying things like “I don’t understand” or “why”. We assume competence in our participants and collaborators. There are no stupid questions.

We aim to keep discussions productive and civil. Spamming discussions with off-topic comments are not tolerated.

We will be considerate in speech and actions, and actively seek to acknowledge and respect the boundaries of people who participate in PPG activities.

We will take care of each other. We will alert a member of the Code of Conduct Committee if we notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or a potential violation of this Code of Conduct, even if it seems inconsequential.

We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Adherence to our Code of Conduct requires refraining from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech including, but not limited to:

• offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), nationality, native language, or technology choices;
• unwelcome comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, or employment;
• sustained or willful disruption of discussions, talks, or other events, including online discussion;
• deliberate intimidation;
• continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease;
• unwanted photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes;
• pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting or assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others;
• inappropriate physical contact without consent or after a request to stop;
• in virtual settings, inappropriate simulated physical contact used without consent, such as textual descriptions like “hug” or “backrub” or emojis representing such contacts;
• stalking or following, including in virtual settings behavior such as persistent unwanted direct messages, sending unwanted pictures or malware links, or logging online activity for harassment purposes;
• threats of violence or incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm;
• use of sexual or discriminatory imagery, comments, or jokes;
• unwelcome sexual attention, which can include inappropriate questions of a sexual nature, asking for sexual favors, or repeatedly asking for dates or contact information;
• deliberate ‘outing’ of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from intentional abuse;
• deliberate misgendering or use of ‘dead’ or rejected names;
• non-consensual publication of non-harassing private communication, including screenshots of private discussion channels or direct messages;
• forcing or coercing others to join in discussions or vote against their will or without their consent.

We prioritize marginalized people’s safety over privileged people’s comfort. We will not act on complaints regarding:

• ‘reverse’ -isms, including ‘reverse racism,’ ‘reverse sexism,’ and ‘cisphobia’;
• reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone,” “go away,” or “I’m not discussing this with you”;
• communicating in a ‘tone’ you don’t find professional and congenial;
• criticizing racist, sexist, cissexist, or otherwise oppressive behavior or assumptions.

If anyone engages in harassing behavior, the Committee will take action that may include warning the offender or asking them to leave an event or an online channel either temporarily or permanently, or seeking help from law enforcement.

This Code of Conduct applies to all people participating in the PPG community, including PPG leadership. It applies to all modes of interaction online including GitHub project repositories, the PPG email list, Slack, virtual meetings, and in person at PPG-hosted events or events officially endorsed by PPG, including social gatherings affiliated with the event.

Reporting Guidelines

The PPG Code of Conduct Committee is composed of three volunteers, including a member of the PPG Coordinating Committee, who will serve as secretary:

• Christopher Krieg (christopher.p.krieg@gmail.com)
• Erin Sigel (Erin.Sigel@unh.edu)
• Agustina Yañez (gugu@macn.gov.ar)
• Eric Schuettpelz (SchuettpelzE@si.edu), secretary

If you experience or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please email one or more of the Committee members listed above. If any member of the Committee has a conflict of interest with a report of potential misconduct, they will be recused and will not have access to the content or process of the report followup. At an in-person PPG event, please reach out to anyone named as a member of that event-specific Code of Conduct Committee, or to venue staff or security who will be present throughout the event.

If you are planning to attend an upcoming event or join an online channel, and have concerns regarding another individual who may be present, please submit a report as described above. We will work with you to take precautions to ensure your comfort and safety. These precautions may include: providing an escort, preparing onsite event staff, and/or providing on-site contact cell phone numbers for immediate contact. In some cases, we may take action to prevent a harasser from attending the conference.

The Code of Conduct Committee will investigate and decide responses to reports of potential misconduct with the aim of making a decision and implementing enforcement as soon as is reasonably possible. We are committed to transparency with our community while upholding the privacy of victims and people who report incidents. Anybody who has been found to have violated the Code of Conduct will be blocked from participation in online discussions, voting, or participation in in-person events. We will publish brief, anonymized summaries of incidents on the forum in a dedicated, read-only category, and will publish on the PPG blog an annual transparency report.

We welcome your feedback by email and we thank you for working with us to make PPG a safe, enjoyable, friendly and enriching experience for everyone who participates.

License and Credits

The PPG Code of Conduct has been influenced by and adapted from rOpenSci (https://ropensci.org/code-of-conduct/).

License: CC0-1.0

To the extent possible under law, PPG has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to the PPG Code of Conduct.