Code of Conduct
By registering to attend the APTA Rail Conference, you agree to abide by APTA's Code of Conduct for APTA Conference Attendees.
Code of Conduct for APTA Conference Attendees
1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to ensure that everyone is respectful of those who attend APTA Conferences.
2. SCOPE
a. This policy applies to attendees, speakers, volunteers, guests, and contractors at APTA conferences.
b. This policy applies to APTA members and staff as well as APTA leadership (e.g., Officers, Executive Committee members, Board members, and APTA supervisors).
3. REFERENCES
a. APTA Bylaws Article II, ("Objectives").
b. 2017 APTA Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan
4. RESPONSIBILITIES
a. APTA Conference Attendees, Speakers, Volunteers, Guests and Contractors:
1. Act with integrity and in an ethical and professional manner in their interactions with each other, members of the public, APTA members and staff, and
2. Report suspected harassment and/or abuse promptly to APTA staff.
b. APTA members and staff:
1. Maintain high ethical and moral behavior at APTA conferences so that their behavior reflects positively on APTA;
2. Report suspected instances of harassment and/or abuse to APTA leadership; and
3. Receives complaints regarding suspected harassment and/or abuse and ensures appropriate APTA leadership is aware of the complaint.
c. APTA Leadership (Officers, Executive Committee members, Board members, APTA supervisors):
1. Serves as a rle model for professional and ethical behavior at APTA conferences;
2. Promotes and fosters fairness and justice in the treatment of conference attendees, members, speakers, volunteers, guests, and contractors;
3. Ensures that suspected harassment and/or abuse complaints are followed up appropriately and a response regarding actions taken is provided to the complainant; and
4. Responsible for taking appropriate steps to ensure offending conduct is stopped and offenders are appropriately disciplined for their behavior.
5. PROCEDURES
APTA provides a safe, hospitable, and productive environment for everyone attending APTA events, regardless of ethnicity, religion, disability, physical appearance, gender, or sexual orientation. It is important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is neither healthy nor productive. Accordingly, APTA prohibits intimidating, threatening, or harassing conduct during APTA conferences. This policy applies to speakers, staff, volunteers, guests, members, contractors, and attendees. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference, at the discretion of APTA leadership (Offices, Executive Committee members, Board members, APTA supervisors).
Harassment of APTA participants will not be tolerated in any form. Harassment includes offensive gestures or verbal comments related to ethnicity, religion, disability, physical appearance, gender, or sexual orientation in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.
If someone engages in harassing behavior, APTA leadership may take any action they deem appropriate, ranging from a simple warning to the offender to expulsion from this and future APTA conferences. If someone is being harassed, notices that someone else is being harassed, or has any other concerns, contact APTA staff who can work with appropriate APTA leadership to resolve the situation.
APTA staff will help participants contact convention center/hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, and otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to enable them to feel safe for the duration of the conference.