<div dir="ltr">Dear all,<div>David's and Martin's posts both concentrate on cultural relativism and protecting "freedom" of expression, and Martin in particular argues that limiting speech is antithetical to science. I would like us to consider ways in which cultures of intimidation and harassment are also anti-scientific and damaging both to individuals and to our field. Codes of conduct aren't perfect but they do serve a purpose - of highlighting this fact, unpleasant though it is. Codes of conduct aren't about witch-hunts*, as Martin and David seem to imply. They're about empowering organizers to set a tone for a conference so we can all have a great time and learn about our colleagues' work.</div><div>I imagine that for the majority of people, conference codes of conduct will have no impact. F'rinstance... If you have no intention of going around badgering junior women (plural) for information about where they're staying, great. But apparently some consider this acceptable conference behavior, and they need a reminder that it's not. If you weren't planning on using semi-naked pictures of your graduate students as scene-shifters on your slides, awesome. I wasn't either. But if you were, please reconsider. If all your example sentences are about how men hit women, you might want to think about the perpetuation of stereotypes and whether that's something you want to be associated with. <br></div><div>It would be great if codes of conduct were unnecessary, because everyone conducted themselves with respect and civility, but nearly years as a conference goer (and recently organizing a letter to the LSA about harassment in linguistics) has provided me with too much evidence to the contrary.</div><div>Claire</div><div><br></div><div>*I invite readers to consider the gendered implications of phrases like this elsewhere.<br><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Nov 20, 2017 at 1:02 PM, Kristine Hildebrandt <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:khildeb@siue.edu" target="_blank">khildeb@siue.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I respectfully disagree with Martin, although his comments (and David's) regarding unclarity do resonate with me. And this response comes from me personally, as an ALT member, and not as an Officer.</font><div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">As an employee of a U.S./North American university, I'm obliged to go through mandatory annual trainings and periodic refreshers on what constitutes harassment/assault (sexual or other), how to "not do it", how to spot it when it might be happening to me/a colleague/a student, and what to do about that if I do suspect it (as a faculty member in the U.S. I'm actually under a legal obligation to <i>not</i> do <i>nothing</i>). I've found that there are so many definitions (often constructed as examples), so many nuances, so many lines that may or may not be crossed, that the whole experience can be somewhat dizzying and mind-numbing. But: I also feel from a woman's perspective, and this moves me beyond U.S. bounds--and I've also lived and worked in enough places now to be able to say this--that this very vagueness in *just what harassment is*, and the resulting back-stepping from dealing with it (even via symbolic language), is one reason why harassment/assault/discriminat<wbr>ory and predatory practice has managed to go on for so long and perpetuate, evolve, and expand in such insidious ways. As if to say: "If we can't pinpoint it, we can't deal with it". That's unacceptable to me.</font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I do also (again respectfully) disagree somewhat with David's observation that "most of us are good people who sometimes make mistakes...a few are rotten apples". I engage in no finger pointing, here. In my own personal encounters as a professional, I've only ever encountered the good people. But my world of professional interaction is only a very small subset, and I've heard enough accounts from other reliable colleagues from many backgrounds to know that they could have benefited from the presence of such codes, even if largely symbolic in power. It matters. I have been pleased to see codes of conduct slowly making their appearance in other Associations, even if their language does raise discussion about interpretation and application.</font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">The challenge of vague terminology and cross-cultural variations in interpretations should not prevent this code from becoming a part of the ALT statues. Vagueness in terms of consequences, for example, can easily be fleshed out by the organizing committees and institutions putting together the meeting. In the U.S. we can turn to the policies held at the university level for guidance, for example. </font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b><br></b></font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>I recommend a 'yes' vote.</b> If a 'no' vote does prevail, then I hope it is simply because the language here needs refinement and people are open to that process. I do urge ALT members <b>not</b> to simply assume that this Association (or any other) gets to 'opt out' of this issue, so I would welcome some discussion on this towards crafting revised language, either online or during a special session, language </font></span><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap">that </span><i style="color:rgb(29,33,41);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap">can</i><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"> eventually be adopted formally.</span><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">And finally, I especially disagree with Martin that this ballot item and vote distracts from other (equally/more) important issues before ALT. I think we can take on/discuss/take action on any number of issues, even simultaneously. A code of conduct statement has nothing to do (in my mind) with a failure to take other steps to make other participants feel welcome within the Association and related events. I just don't see how this step precludes other discussions on other matters aimed at making ALT a more inclusive organization. Granted, my history here is shallow, and I don't always get to attend the meetings or be in all of the discussion loops. Perhaps there have been failed initiatives in the past and I'm oblivious to these, but with successive officer/EC/membership changes through time, we can (and should) revisit them. So it will perhaps be with this vote!</font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks for hearing me, and I do appreciate all positions and perspectives on this important issue.</font></span></div><div><br></div></div><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Nov 20, 2017 at 8:09 AM, Martin Haspelmath <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:haspelmath@shh.mpg.de" target="_blank">haspelmath@shh.mpg.de</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
Thanks to the EC for its efforts, but I would strongly urge all ALT
members to vote AGAINST the code of conduct.<br>
<br>
Such codes of conduct may be needed, but the present formulation is
incompatible with free science.<br>
<br>
There is no definition of "harrassment" (just some examples of what
harrassment is), and the formulation "offensive comments related to
aspects of identity" is terribly vague. <br>
<br>
On the basis of such a code of conduct, almost anything that is
controversial could be construed as violating the code, so anyone
could be expelled from the conference, even though they are trying
to make a serious contribution to science.<br>
<br>
It's completely unclear who has the authority to "find conference
participants in violation", and how participants could defend
themselves if wrongly accused. I would not want to attend a
conference with such rules, as I would not feel safe to express my
(potentially controversial) scientific ideas.<br>
<br>
So the present formulation is completely counterproductive and
dangerous for ALT.<br>
<br>
I am aware that in Anglo-American culture, such codes of conduct are
more and more widespread, but there are big cultural differences. In
most parts of the world, precarious employment and restrictions on
travel are much more urgent problems that are worth thinking about.
I suggest that ALT's EC consider also other options to make people
feel welcome at ALT conferences, e.g. to increase the participation
fees for participants from rich countries substantially, in order to
alleviate the outrageous obstacles to conference participation that
many (potential) ALT members face.<br>
<br>
I'm all for addressing the problem of harrassment, but only if it
clear what exactly consitutes harrassment, and if there is no threat
of expelling participants from ALT conferences. (Or if there is such
a threat, then there should be a due process, as we're used to in
free societies, rather than an arbitrary decision by some
unspecified authority.) Maybe there should be a larger discussion at
the ALT conference, or on the LINGTYP List.<br>
<br>
Best wishes,<br>
Martin<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="m_-5357971485220721600m_-1868194241076609119moz-cite-prefix">On 20.11.17 14:24, Kristine Hildebrandt
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>Dear ALT members:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We have two important items up for vote. Both items are
contained in a single electronic ballot, which can be found
here:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><a class="m_-5357971485220721600m_-1868194241076609119gmail-survey-link m_-5357971485220721600m_-1868194241076609119gmail-ng-binding" href="https://siue.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6id2p5qEU7W3tzf" target="_blank">https://siue.co1.qualtrics.com<wbr>/jfe/form/SV_6id2p5qEU7W3tzf</a><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This link allows you to vote exactly once, and the origin
of the vote is untraceable (ie. the vote is anonymous to me
when I collect the results).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Item 1:</div>
<div>Of the six current Executive Committee members, three are
rotating off, and need to be replaced (Felix Ameka, Isabelle
Bril, Keren Rice). Three continue for another term: Silvia
Luraghi, Stepehen Matthews, Felicity Meakins.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The ALT nominating committee identified and consulted with
three nominees for the EC: Mark Dingemanse, Rachel Nordlinger,
and Ljuba Veselinova.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>When you go the e-ballot, you will see brief bio-sketches
of the three nominees. You can vote for all three together, or
for any individual. And even if you do not vote for any
nominee, you can still vote on Item #2 (below).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We are grateful to both the outgoing EC members, and to the
Nominating Committee (Nick Enfield, Nina Dobrushina, Martin
Haspelmath, and Claire Bowern) for their work for ALT.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Item 2:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The ALT Officers (Jeff Good, Dmitry Idiatov, and me), in
consultation with the EC have drawn up a code of conduct
statement to be added to the ALT statutes. Please vote either
for or against the adoption of this code.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><b>Voting is now open as of this email. The deadline to
vote is Tuesday December 5 at 5pm Central Standard Time.</b></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Thank you!</div>
-- <br>
<div class="m_-5357971485220721600m_-1868194241076609119gmail_signature">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">Orche<br>
('Thanks' in Manange)
<div><br>
<i>Kristine A. Hildebrandt</i></div>
<div><i style="font-size:12.8px">Associate
Professor, <a href="http://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/english/" target="_blank">Department of English
Language & Literature</a></i><i><br>
</i></div>
<div><i>Secretary, <a href="http://www.linguistic-typology.org/" target="_blank">Association for
Linguistic Typology</a><br>
</i></div>
<div><i>Editor, <a href="http://escholarship.org/uc/himalayanlinguistics" target="_blank">Himalayan Linguistics</a></i></div>
<div><span style="font-size:small">Check out
our </span><a href="https://mananglanguages.isg.siue.edu/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:small" target="_blank">Manang
Languages</a><span style="font-size:small"> project page!</span><br>
</div>
<div><i>Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville</i>
<div><i>Box 1431<br>
Edwardsville, IL 62026 U.S.A.<br>
<a href="tel:(618)%20650-3991" value="+16186503991" target="_blank">618-650-3991</a> (department voicemail)</i>
<div><i><a href="mailto:khildeb@siue.edu" target="_blank">khildeb@siue.edu</a><br>
<a href="http://www.siue.edu/%7Ekhildeb" target="_blank">http://www.siue.edu/~khildeb</a></i></div>
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<fieldset class="m_-5357971485220721600m_-1868194241076609119mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
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</font></span></blockquote><span class="m_-5357971485220721600HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">
<br>
<pre class="m_-5357971485220721600m_-1868194241076609119moz-signature" cols="72">--
Martin Haspelmath (<a class="m_-5357971485220721600m_-1868194241076609119moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:haspelmath@shh.mpg.de" target="_blank">haspelmath@shh.mpg.de</a>)
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Kahlaische Strasse 10
D-07745 Jena
&
Leipzig University
IPF 141199
Nikolaistrasse 6-10
D-04109 Leipzig
</pre>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="m_-5357971485220721600gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Orche<br>('Thanks' in Manange)<div><br><i>Kristine A. Hildebrandt</i></div><div><i style="font-size:12.8px">Associate Professor, <a href="http://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/english/" target="_blank">Department of English Language & Literature</a></i><i><br></i></div><div><i>Secretary, <a href="http://www.linguistic-typology.org/" target="_blank">Association for Linguistic Typology</a><br></i></div><div><i>Editor, <a href="http://escholarship.org/uc/himalayanlinguistics" target="_blank">Himalayan Linguistics</a></i></div><div><span style="font-size:small">Check out our </span><a href="https://mananglanguages.isg.siue.edu/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:small" target="_blank">Manang Languages</a><span style="font-size:small"> project page!</span><br></div><div><i>Southern Illinois University Edwardsville</i><div><i>Box 1431<br>Edwardsville, IL 62026 U.S.A.<br><a href="tel:(618)%20650-3991" value="+16186503991" target="_blank">618-650-3991</a> (department voicemail)</i><div><i><a href="mailto:khildeb@siue.edu" target="_blank">khildeb@siue.edu</a><br><a href="http://www.siue.edu/~khildeb" target="_blank">http://www.siue.edu/~khildeb</a></i></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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