Code of Conduct

Below is the code of conduct for the SPLS Zulip chat service.

Purpose

The SPLS series of meetings are designed to be a friendly and inclusive forum for discussion of any aspect of programming languages. The SPLS Zulip chat service brings together programming languages researchers and practitioners as a space to communicate outside of the meetings themselves.

A primary goal of SPLS has always been to be inclusive to the largest number of participants, with the most varied and diverse backgrounds possible. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religion (or lack thereof).

This isn’t an exhaustive list of things that you can’t do. Rather, take it in the spirit in which it’s intended - a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us and the technical communities in which we participate.

This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate on our Zulip chat service, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.

We invite all those who participate in SPLS activities to help us create safe and positive experiences for everyone.

Expected behaviour

The following behaviors are expected and requested of all community members:

• Be friendly and patient.
• Be welcoming. We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.
• Be respectful. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Members of the SPLS community should be respectful when dealing with other members as well as with people outside the community.
• Be careful in the words that you choose. We are a community of professionals, and we conduct ourselves professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment and other exclusionary behavior aren’t acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Violent threats or language directed against another person.
  • Discriminatory jokes and language.
  • Posting sexually explicit or violent material.
  • Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.
  • Unwelcome sexual attention.
  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
  • Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop.
• When we disagree, try to understand why. Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. Remember that we’re different, and different people have different perspectives on issues – academic or otherwise. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that it is human to err and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.
• Administrators reserve the right to delete excessive self-promotional or commercial posts.
• Content that has been identified as objectionable, inappropriate, or off-topic will be subject to deletion by administrators. Posters will receive a warning and risk being blocked from the service if unacceptable behavior persists.

Consequences of unacceptable behaviour

Unacceptable behavior from any community member will not be tolerated. Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.

If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, we may take any action deemed appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the chat service without warning.

Reporting guidelines

If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify us as soon as possible by messaging one of the CoC administrators, Simon Fowler or Michel Steuwer.

License and attribution

This Code of Conduct is directly adapted from the Creative Commons Slack CoC and distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.