Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 10:03:12 EDT From: "tink in the crosshairs...again" Subject: SUB: FAQ: Draft Harassment Policy for WRITERS Let me repeat--this is a DRAFT. One area which I am still thinking hard about is namecalling, insults, and so forth. I tend to think that namecalling is not in the same "level" as threats to work, life, health, family, etc. However, at some point it clearly shades over into harassment, and I'm not sure how to point to that. In any case...let me know what you think. tink +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= WRITER's Policy on Harassment 1. Harassment is not acceptable behavior on this list and may lead to sanctions. Harassment of any kind is not acceptable behavior on this list; it is inconsistent with the commitment to excellence that characterizes WRITER's activities. WRITERS is committed to creating an environment in which every individual can work, study, and write without being harassed. Harassment may therefore lead to sanctions up to and including termination of membership. 2. Harassment is any conduct that has the intent or effect of unreasonably interfering with participation on WRITERS or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment. Harassment is any conduct, verbal or non-verbal, via public postings or private email, that has the intent or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual or group's participation on WRITERS or that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Some kinds of harassment are prohibited by civil laws. Harassment on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or age includes harassment of an individual in terms of stereotyped group characteristic, or because of that person's identification with a particular group. Examples of harassment include: overt threats, serious intimidation, stalking behavior, repeated personal attacks, serious threats of reprisal, and attempts at coercion or blackmail; deliberate, repeated humiliation, including deliberate humilation on the basis of sexual orientation, religion, nationality, age, disability, gender or race; deliberate desecration of religious articles or places, repeated unwanted proselytizing, and repeated interference with the reasonable pursuit of religious life; and repeated insults about loss of personal and professional competence addressed to an older person. 3. Everyday actions, social exchanges, occasional mistakes, and reasonable submissions of writings are not harassment. Everyday administrative actions, social situations, legitimate harassment complaints, and normal social interaction should not be considered harassment. Occasional mistakes and "faux pas" are not harassment. Even name-calling and insults often are not harassment. It is also important to remember that on this list, legitimate SUB postings (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc.) may contain material which might be considered prejudiced, biased, or otherwise unacceptable in other postings or discussion. Such material should be evidently part of a writing effort, not simply harassment hidden under the banner of a submission. In determining whether or not something is harassment, we should look at the overall pattern. Was this a one-time incident? If not, was the person asked to change? Were they willing to change? Did they? Or did they continue or intensify their harassment? 4. Freedom of expression and freedom from unreasonable and disruptive offense are both part of the mission of this list Freedom of expression is essential to the mission of this list. So is freedom from unreasonable and disruptive offense. Members of this community are encouraged to avoid pitting these essential elements of the exchange against each other. Individuals who are offended by matters of speech or expression should consider speaking up promptly and in a civil fashion, and should be able to ask others to help them in a professional fashion to express concern. People who learn they have offended others by their manner of expression should consider immediately stopping the offense and apologizing. It is usually easier to deal with issues of free expression and harassment when members of the community think in terms of interests rather than rights. It may be "legal" to do many things that are not in one's interests or in the interests of members of a diverse community. Most people intuitively recognize that there may be some difference between their rights and their interests. For example, most people do not insist on offending others once they have learned that their behavior is offensive, even in circumstances where they may have, or think that they have, a legal right to do so. Thus, anyone dealing with harassment concerns may find it useful to think about the interests on all sides as well as the rights. heavily based on "Dealing with Harassment at MIT, Chapter 2: Policies and Standards," available from http://web.mit.edu/communications/hg/2.html +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=