<div dir="ltr">Dear all, <div><br></div><div>While I understand the concerns about wording and timing (having a remote vote instead of an IRL vote at the business meeting), I would greatly appreciate it if Martin, David and others would submit an alternative proposal instead of only critique. This discussion is otherwise in danger of becoming derailed from the actual problems at hand and their implications. I agree with Claire that the discussion has already become unproductively derailed.</div><div><br></div><div>It seems to me that a good solution at this time is to let several people submit and circulate suggestions and then have a definite IRL vote here in Canberra (where some people might have to do it remotely still). I assume that the reason for having a remote vote like this before the meeting is because the EC is concerned that people will not engage thoroughly with the issues until the actual business meeting, and that it will then drag out and not reach a final decision. That's a valid concern, and probably works well for many issues that the ALT deals with, but it seems like for this one it is not working well. If the EC believes that it is now possible to have a debate here on the mailing list and that it will be feasible to have a vote (where some people will have to do it remotely) during the ALT meeting in Canberra, then would be good.</div><div><br></div><div>As a junior female person in these circumstances, I am very grateful to the EC and in particular Kristine for taking these issues seriously and proposing this code of conduct. It is much needed, and if we want linguistics to be a healthy research discipline where people want to stay, we need to start addressing these issues concretely and head on. There are many factors that influence what research gets produced, we all know that it is not intellect alone. We are losing research colleagues because of sexual harassment, it is in the fields interest to make it very clear to everyone what kind of behaviour is appropriate in professional spaces.</div><div><br></div><div>I support Martin's concern about making the ALT more welcoming for researchers from developing countries with struggling finances, but I don't see how that's in conflict with this issue. I am able to both support the EC's code of conduct and such an initiative, and I hope that Martin has added it to the agenda for the business meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>Best, <br>Hedvig</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt"><b><br></b></span></p><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><font size="2" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Med vänliga hälsningar</b><b>,</b><br></font></p><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><b><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Hedvig Skirgård</font></b></p><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><br></p><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><font size="1"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">PhD Candidate</span><br></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font size="1">The Wellsprings of Linguistic Diversity</font></span></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="1">ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language</font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="1">School of Culture, History and Language<br>College of Asia and the Pacific</font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="1">The Australian National University</font></p><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" color="#666666" size="1"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/hedvigskirgard/" target="_blank">Website</a><br></font></p><div><br></div><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt"><br></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On 21 November 2017 at 10:20, Giorgio Francesco Arcodia <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:giorgio.arcodia@unimib.it" target="_blank">giorgio.arcodia@unimib.it</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><div dir="ltr" style="font-family:sans-serif">Dear colleagues,<br></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family:sans-serif"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family:sans-serif">I completely agree with David Gil. Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't know how we could define e.g. "inappropriate physical contact" in a culturally-neutral way. This is simply not possible. In some cultures, even a handshake could be perceived, or construed, as "inappropriate", especially between people of the opposite sex. </div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family:sans-serif">I strongly believe that, unless we want to impose the values of the Anglophone West to all participants to all ALT conferences anywhere in the world, we cannot have this sort of rules.</div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family:sans-serif">On the other hand, Martin's suggestion is more than reasonable, in my view, and I would be glad to vote to approve it.</div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family:sans-serif">Lastly, I think that any conference organiser would reprimand a participant being disruptive/offensive/<wbr>aggressive/etc. This is just common sense. I don't see why we need a formal, statutory investment for this.</div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family:sans-serif"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family:sans-serif">Giorgio F. Arcodia<br></div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div class="h5">On 20 Nov 2017 22:04, "Martin Haspelmath" <<a href="mailto:haspelmath@shh.mpg.de" target="_blank">haspelmath@shh.mpg.de</a>> wrote:<br type="attribution"></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div class="h5">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
On 20.11.17 19:02, Kristine Hildebrandt wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">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>
</blockquote>
<br>
Here's a proposal for a revised code of conduct (copied from the
upcoming <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/arts/conference/als_2017/code.shtml" target="_blank">Australian
Linguistic Society meeting</a>'s code of conduct):<br>
<p>Conference participants will:</p>
<ul>
<li>treat fellow participants, students, volunteers, and any other
members of the public with respect, dignity, impartiality,
courtesy and sensitivity;</li>
<li>maintain a cooperative and collaborative approach to
inter-personal relationships;</li>
<li>respect the privacy of others;</li>
<li>ensure that they do not become involved in or encourage
discrimination against or harassment of participants, students,
volunteers, or any other members of the public.</li>
</ul>
For me, the main point is that there should be no threat to expel
participants from the conference for what they say.<br>
<br>
The ALS's statement should go at least some way toward "setting the
tone" against anti-scientific behaviour of the kind highlighted by
Claire, without falling into the trap of being anti-scientific in a
different way.<br>
<br>
Another thing that ALT could do is introduce mandatory "harrassment
training" at the beginning of the conference – this is something
that is completely unknown in Germany and other non-Anglo-American
countries, but maybe it's something that the whole world needs – I'm
certainly open to this possibility. It would be a slight annoyance
for some people, but the main thing for me is that there would be no
threat to expel a colleague from the conference.<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
Martin<br>
<pre class="m_3593500617296480043m_4956577036903252290moz-signature" cols="72">--
Martin Haspelmath (<a class="m_3593500617296480043m_4956577036903252290moz-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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