[Lingtyp] ALT: code of conduct

Tue Nov 21 22:25:55 UTC 2017

Martin's message, which continues with (my emphasis):

"*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.*"

Giorgio

2017-11-21 23:08 GMT+01:00 Emily M. Bender <ebender at uw.edu>:

> Dear all,
>
> Speaking as something of an outsider, I would say that there have
> definitely been contributions to this discussion that suggest that, even if
> everyone here agrees that harassment is bad, not everyone agrees that
> harassment is actually a problem in academia in general, or that it is not
> a problem worth addressing.
>
> For example, from Martin's message at the top of the thread:
>
> "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."
>
> Emily
>
> On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 2:04 PM, Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm <tamm at ling.su.se>
> wrote:
>
>> Just a moment: was there anyone who said anything about being
>> unsupportive of people from diverse backgrounds and communities? I thought
>> this is exactly what has been pointed out in the discussion – the members
>> of this list have very different background, we work with different
>> languages and cultures and should therefore be aware of the differences in
>> people’s understanding of what is appropriate, inappropriate and all that.
>>
>> I don’t think people should judge the climate in the academic world the
>> ALT represents by the email discussions on the list. These are miles away
>> from both the conferences and from our normal activities and communication.
>> As everyone on this list knows, most of the members hardly ever post
>> anything on it, which does not mean that they lack any opinions -– either
>> on a particular issue or in general. It’s not their cup of tea.
>>
>> It’s not mine either by the way – even though I count myself to very
>> active representatives of the field.
>>
>> Best,
>> Masha
>>
>>
>>
>> Prof. Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm
>> Dept. of linguistics, Stockholm university, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
>> tel.: +46-8-16 26 20 <+46%208%2016%2026%2020> (office)
>> www.ling.su.se/tamm
>> tamm at ling.su.se
>>
>>
>> On 21 Nov 2017, at 22:33, Andrew Garrett <garrett at berkeley.edu> wrote:
>>
>> hi all,
>>
>> thank you for the question. Again, I emphasize my outsider status and
>> express gratitude for being able to contribute to the conversation!
>>
>> I would be surprised if anybody feels intimidated by the simple fact of
>> an open conversation; hopefully everybody is in favor of that. And so many
>> societies lack a meeting code of conduct that its absence may well not be
>> driving people away. But the current lingtyp conversation is definitely
>> being circulated (not by me), and observed, among linguists who are not ALT
>> members. Many linguists — possibly even most linguists! — do not
>> self-identify as primarily "typologists" but are interested in typology to
>> a greater or lesser degree; such people may choose whether or not to join
>> ALT and drift a little closer to the important academic world it
>> represents. If they perceive the climate in that world to be unsympathetic
>> to equity and inclusion, and unsupportive of people from diverse
>> backgrounds and communities, they may choose to go to a different
>> conference or join a different organization that seems friendlier to them.
>>
>> best,
>> Andrew
>>
>> On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 1:12 PM, Giorgio Francesco Arcodia <
>> giorgio.arcodia at unimib.it> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Andrew, dear all,
>>>
>>> This is what I read in your e-mail (my emphasis):
>>>
>>> "Clarity in this area, and an expressed position along the lines of the
>>> excellent ACL policy circulated by Emily Bender, *would probably also
>>> help draw people into ALT who are currently on the outside and (in some
>>> cases, I think) find themselves discouraged by some of the tenor of the
>>> current conversation*."
>>>
>>> English is obviously not my mother tongue, hence I might be
>>> misinterpreting your words, but what I understand is: there are people who
>>> would join (/participate in) ALT, but who are currently discouraged to do
>>> so by the fact that we are discussing the merits and demerits of a proposed
>>> Code of Conduct.
>>>
>>> If this is what you meant, I have to admit that, honestly, this is
>>> incomprehensible to me. Should we refrain from discussing in an open forum
>>> because otherwise people who are probably not even in this mailing list
>>> might feel intimidated? Above all, are there really cases of people who
>>> stay away from ALT because ALT does not have a code of conduct?
>>>
>>> On the other hand, I do agree that the ACL policy circulated by Emily
>>> Bender sounds much more reasonable than the original ALT proposal. As
>>> Sebastian Nordhoff cleverly pointed out, its purpose is clear and its scope
>>> is adequately defined, in my view. The ACL policy 1. discourages harassing
>>> etc.; 2. provides a fairly sensible procedure (i.e. how to deal with cases
>>> of *alleged* harassment), without assuming guilt.
>>>
>>> Lastly, I still haven't read a reply to David Gil's very clever and
>>> thought-provoking challenge: how about the 'Padang incident'? Or is that
>>> one fine, because it fits in our (Anglophone) Western conception of what is
>>> acceptable and what is not?
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Giorgio F. Arcodia
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 2017-11-21 17:22 GMT+01:00 Andrew Garrett <garrett at berkeley.edu>:
>>>
>>>> Hi all -
>>>>
>>>> Please forgive what may seem like an intrusion from a linguist who
>>>> happens to be on the ALT email list but is not an ALT member. From my
>>>> perspective (within a US linguistics department), it seems very important
>>>> that institutions and organizations provide clear statements regarding
>>>> harassment. Bullying and harassment, ranging on a spectrum from
>>>> intellectual bullying to sexual harassment (not to mention assault), are
>>>> constant problems in our public and academic life, and are all too easy to
>>>> minimize if we simply leave it up to our collective and individual
>>>> goodwill. Most scholars and scientists do have goodwill, but it is
>>>> incredibly easy for us to turn a blind eye to the problem of harassment,
>>>> and thereby disempower, devalue, and exclude the voices of those who
>>>> experience it, if we do not experience it ourselves.
>>>>
>>>> Clarity in this area, and an expressed position along the lines of the
>>>> excellent ACL policy circulated by Emily Bender, would probably also help
>>>> draw people into ALT who are currently on the outside and (in some cases, I
>>>> think) find themselves discouraged by some of the tenor of the current
>>>> conversation.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for your discussions of this important subject. I wish all
>>>> professional societies were as engaged as ALT.
>>>>
>>>> - Andrew Garrett
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Andrew Garrett
>>>> Professor and Chair, Department of Linguistics
>>>> Nadine M. Tang and Bruce L. Smith Professor of Cross-Cultural Social Sciences
>>>> Director, Survey of California and Other Indian Languages
>>>> 1203 Dwinelle Hall #2650
>>>> University of California
>>>> Berkeley CA 94720-2650
>>>>
>>>> email: garrett at berkeley.edu
>>>> web: http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/~garrett
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 6:07 AM, Emily M. Bender <ebender at uw.edu>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Dear all,
>>>>>
>>>>> In case it is helpful for this discussion, here is a link to the
>>>>> anti-harassment policy recently adopted by the Association for
>>>>> Computational Linguistics, another international scholarly organization:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://aclweb.org/adminwiki/index.php?title=Anti-Harassment_Policy
>>>>>
>>>>> We (the ACL exec) are presently in the process of developing
>>>>> procedures to follow in case of  complaints raised under the policy.  These
>>>>> cases are never easy, and of course none of this is pleasant to think
>>>>> about.  However, it is clear that despite the fact that most people attend
>>>>> academic conferences in good faith and without wishing to make the
>>>>> atmosphere unwelcoming to anyone, cases of harassment do occur, and that
>>>>> therefore the status quo is unacceptable.  Furthermore, it is a helpful,
>>>>> positive thing for professional organizations to set expectations.  That
>>>>> expectation setting in and of itself can help underrepresented groups feel
>>>>> more welcome and supported (and more likely to stick around in the field).
>>>>> The "worst case" consequences in policies such as this are there to give
>>>>> them teeth, but are never automatic consequences of a complaint being
>>>>> raised.
>>>>>
>>>>> Emily
>>>>>
>>>>> p.s. Here's the text of the ACL policy:
>>>>>
>>>>> ===
>>>>>
>>>>> Anti-Harassment Policy
>>>>> The open exchange of ideas, the freedom of thought and expression, and
>>>>> respectful scientific debate are central to the aims and goals of the ACL.
>>>>> These require a community and an environment that recognizes the inherent
>>>>> worth of every person and group, that fosters dignity, understanding, and
>>>>> mutual respect, and that embraces diversity. For these reasons, ACL is
>>>>> dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for all the members, as
>>>>> well as participants at our events and in our programs.
>>>>>
>>>>> Harassment and hostile behavior are unwelcome at any ACL conference,
>>>>> associated event, or in ACL-affiliated on-line discussions. This includes:
>>>>> speech or behavior that intimidates, creates discomfort, or interferes with
>>>>> a person's participation or opportunity for participation in a conference
>>>>> or an event. We aim for ACL-related activities to be an environment where
>>>>> harassment in any form does not happen, including but not limited to:
>>>>> harassment based on race, gender, religion, age, color, appearance,
>>>>> national origin, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, or gender
>>>>> identity. Harassment includes degrading verbal comments, deliberate
>>>>> intimidation, stalking, harassing photography or recording, inappropriate
>>>>> physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. The policy is not
>>>>> intended to inhibit challenging scientific debate, but rather to promote it
>>>>> through ensuring that all are welcome to participate in shared spirit of
>>>>> scientific inquiry.
>>>>>
>>>>> It is the responsibility of the community as a whole to promote an
>>>>> inclusive and positive environment for our scholarly activities. In
>>>>> addition, anyone who experiences harassment or hostile behavior may contact
>>>>> any current member of the ACL Executive Committee ([1]) or contact
>>>>> Priscilla Rasmussen (acl at aclweb.org), who is usually available at the
>>>>> registration desk during ACL conferences. Members of the executive
>>>>> committee will be instructed to keep any such contact in strict confidence,
>>>>> and those who approach the committee will be consulted before any actions
>>>>> are taken.
>>>>>
>>>>> Implementation
>>>>> This policy should be posted prominently on all ACL conference and
>>>>> workshop webpages, with a notice of a list of people who can be contacted
>>>>> by community members with concerns. In case of a formal complaint, the
>>>>> contacted ACL representative(s) will first speak to all parties involved to
>>>>> try to resolve the issue without presupposition of guilt.
>>>>>
>>>>> Approved by ACL Executive Committee, 2016
>>>>>
>>>>> ===
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 5:13 AM, Good, Jeff <jcgood at buffalo.edu>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Dear all,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In light of the ongoing debate about the proposed code of conduct, I
>>>>>> would like to send a brief message on behalf of the ALT Executive Committee.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The ALT Executive Committee recognizes the importance of allowing
>>>>>> open debates on topics of relevance to the association and encourages
>>>>>> members with an opinion on the proposed code of conduct to voice their
>>>>>> views publicly on as they see fit. Regardless of the outcome of the vote,
>>>>>> we welcome further discussion of this topic at the upcoming biennial
>>>>>> meeting.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We also encourage members to vote on the code (whether for or
>>>>>> against) as presently proposed, and we do not plan to propose a revised
>>>>>> code before the biennial meeting. Based on the discussion at the meeting, a
>>>>>> revision to the code can be developed if the present code is passed or a
>>>>>> new code can be proposed if the present proposal does not pass.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Best,
>>>>>> Jeff Good
>>>>>> President, Association for Linguistic Typology
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>>>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>>>>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Emily M. Bender
>>>>> Professor, Department of Linguistics
>>>>> Check out CLMS on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/uwclma
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>>>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Prof. Dr. Giorgio Francesco Arcodia
>>> Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
>>> Dipartimento di Scienze Umane per la Formazione
>>> Edificio U6 - stanza 4101
>>> Piazza dell
>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=Piazza+dell'Ateneo+Nuovo,+1+20126+Milano&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>> 'Ateneo Nuovo, 1
>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=Piazza+dell'Ateneo+Nuovo,+1+20126+Milano&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>> 20126 Milano
>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=Piazza+dell'Ateneo+Nuovo,+1+20126+Milano&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>
>>> Tel.: (+39) 02 6448 4946 <+39%2002%206448%204946>(+39) 02 6448 4946
>>> <+39%2002%206448%204946>
>>> Fax: (+39) 02 6448 4863 <+39%2002%206448%204863>
>>> E-mail: giorgio.arcodia at unimib.it
>>> Website: http://www.bilgroup.it/it/info/giorgio-francesco-arcodia/
>>> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bicoccalanguage
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Lingtyp mailing list
>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Emily M. Bender
> Professor, Department of Linguistics
> Check out CLMS on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/uwclma
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lingtyp mailing list
> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>
>

-- 
Prof. Dr. Giorgio Francesco Arcodia
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
Dipartimento di Scienze Umane per la Formazione
Edificio U6 - stanza 4101
Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1
20126 Milano

Tel.: (+39) 02 6448 4946(+39) 02 6448 4946
Fax: (+39) 02 6448 4863
E-mail: giorgio.arcodia at unimib.it
Website: http://www.bilgroup.it/it/info/giorgio-francesco-arcodia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bicoccalanguage
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