[Lingtyp] ALT: code of conduct

Tue Nov 21 22:28:35 UTC 2017

"I'm all for doing X, so long as you do impossible thing Y, and also take
off the table option Z
[which is commonly used in solutions to X in other societies]."

Emily

On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 2:25 PM, Giorgio Francesco Arcodia <
giorgio.arcodia at unimib.it> wrote:

>
> 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
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> 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
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> 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
> <https://maps.google.com/?q=Ateneo+Nuovo,+1+%0D+20126+Milano+%3Chttps://maps.google.com/?q%3DPiazza%2Bdell'Ateneo%2BNuovo,%2B1%2B20126%2BMilano%26entry%3Dgmail%26source%3Dg%3E&entry=gmail&source=g>
> 20126 Milano
> <https://maps.google.com/?q=Ateneo+Nuovo,+1+%0D+20126+Milano+%3Chttps://maps.google.com/?q%3DPiazza%2Bdell'Ateneo%2BNuovo,%2B1%2B20126%2BMilano%26entry%3Dgmail%26source%3Dg%3E&entry=gmail&source=g>
>
> 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
>

-- 
Emily M. Bender
Professor, Department of Linguistics
Check out CLMS on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/uwclma
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