A primary goal of Windy City Hacks is to be inclusive to the largest number of contributors, 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 Code of Conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our community, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.
We invite all those who participate in Windy City Hacks to help us create safe and positive experiences for everyone.
A supplemental goal of this Code of Conduct is to increase open source citizenship by encouraging participants to recognize and strengthen the relationships between our actions and their effects on our community.
Communities mirror the societies in which they exist and positive action is essential to counteract the many forms of inequality and abuses of power that exist in society.
If you see someone who is making an extra effort to ensure our community is welcoming, friendly, and encourages all participants to contribute to the fullest extent, we want to know.
The following behaviors are expected and requested of all community members:
- Participate in an authentic and active way. In doing so, you contribute to the health and longevity of this community.
- Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
- Attempt collaboration before conflict.
- Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
- Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert community leaders if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.
- Remember that community event venues may be shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations.
The following behaviors are considered harassment and are unacceptable within our community:
- Violence, threats of violence or violent language directed against another person.
- Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
- Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material.
- Posting or threatening to post other people's personally identifying information ("doxing").
- Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
- Inappropriate photography or recording.
- Inappropriate physical contact. You should have someone's consent before touching them.
- Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes, sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping, and unwelcomed sexual advances.
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
- Sustained disruption of community events, including talks and presentations.
No illicit drugs, alcohol, or weapons will be allowed at Windy City Hacks events, community spaces, or in other spaces covered by the scope of this Code of Conduct. Weapons include but are not limited to guns, explosives (including fireworks), and large knives such as those used for hunting or display, as well as any other item used for the purpose of causing injury or harm to others. Anyone seen in possession of one of these items will be asked to leave immediately, and will only be allowed to return without the substances/weapon. Community members are further expected to comply with all state and local laws on this matter.
Unacceptable behavior from any community member, including sponsors and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated.
Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.
If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, the community organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the community without warning.
In our commitment to a harassment-free and inclusive environment we strongly believe it’s important to pay attention to harmful language patterns.
Words like “crazy”, “dumb”, “insane” or “lame” are examples of ableist language, devaluating people who have physical or mental disabilities. Its appearance often stems not from any intentional desire to offend, but from our innate sense of what it means to be normal. These words can be avoided by using more fitting, clearer descriptions of what we want to communicate.
To find out more about ableism and replacement terms please read this guide.
Using gendered terms like “dude” or “guys” to address a mixed-gendered group of people contributes to furthering exclusion of underrepresented individuals. We strongly advise avoiding gendered pronouns as well as gendered terms.
For more information please familiarize yourself with Geek Feminism wiki guide.
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Conference staff can be identified by pink T-shirts. Harassment and other Code of Conduct violations reduce the value of our event for everyone. We want you to be happy at our event. People like you make our event a better place. You can make a report either personally or anonymously:
You can make an anonymous report here. We can’t follow up an anonymous report with you directly, but we will fully investigate it and take whatever action is necessary to prevent a recurrence.
You can make a personal report by:
- Contacting an event organizer, identified by pink shirts
- Emailing us: team@windyhacks.com
When taking a personal report, our staff will ensure you are safe and cannot be overheard. They may involve other event staff to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we’ll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we’ll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won’t be asked to confront anyone and we won’t tell anyone who you are.
Our team will be happy to help you contact hotel/venue security, local law enforcement, local support services, provide escorts, or otherwise assist you to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.
If you feel you have been falsely or unfairly accused of violating this Code of Conduct, you should notify a Windy City Hacks organizer with a concise description of your grievance. Your grievance will be handled in accordance with our existing governing policies.
We expect all community participants (attendees; mentors; sponsors; and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct in all community venues—online and in-person—as well as in all one-on-one communications pertaining to community business.
This Code of Conduct and its related procedures also applies to unacceptable behavior occurring outside the scope of community activities when such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members.
If you have any concerns, please email team@windyhacks.com. Any emails sent about a Code of Conduct issue will be kept strictly confidential.
The Citizen Code of Conduct is distributed by Stumptown Syndicate under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.
Portions of text derived from the Django Code of Conduct and the Geek Feminism Anti-Harassment Policy and .
Revision 2.3. Posted 6 March 2017.
Revision 2.2. Posted 4 February 2016.
Revision 2.1. Posted 23 June 2014.
Revision 2.0, adopted by the Stumptown Syndicate board on 10 January 2013. Posted 17 March 2013.