Thank you, Anne, for all your offers and help in this discussion. My expertise is greatest in making actual reports of incidents, over 35 years worth. The library system I worked in served a resident population of 150,000, but anyone in the metropolitan area of 2.5-3 million could freely walk in and get a library card, including any out-of-state students residing at any of the campuses in the metropolitan area. I have legally testified about a report I wrote and I am aware of one other instance of someone having to give testimony about a report. I am very aware of the legal ramifications of writing a report.
John has accepted my offer to help create a report form that should meet immediate requirements for this summer’s convention. I have offered to give training on using neutral language, focusing on actual events and behaviors rather than personal opinion of the people involved or the situation being described. I guarantee no one taking a report will like the form. I expect that it will be tweaked before the convention starts, and revised afterwards and may not look like anything I suggest. The library’s reporting form changed greatly over the years as has its Code of Conduct. With all that said, and without the backing of a legal department and HR office, I am not afraid to take incident reports at Centerfold, either officially or if someone is uncomfortable approaching one of the people on duty. My overall opinion of the situation is that it’s hard to have to change things you have been nurturing for 11 years because of changes in societal expectations. Carol Martinson Sent from my iPad > On May 19, 2021, at 2:58 PM, Anne LaVin <anne.la...@gmail.com> wrote: > > On Wed, May 19, 2021 at 10:04 AM Weinstein, Michael <weinstein...@osu.edu> > wrote: > > Says me if we can’t have a gathering of adults for one weekend without the > > expectation that everyone can be civil to everyone, > > That ship has, clearly, already sailed, and years ago at that. We're fooling > ourselves if we think our community is just one big happy family all the time. > > Which is not to say that there aren't a lot of great people in origami, and > that for the most part, people treat each other quite well. In my own > personal experience, anyway, most people at origami conventions actually > treat each other *better* than out in the big old real world. But it's clear > that bad stuff happens in our little corner, too. > > > we just shouldn’t do it. My enthusiasm for Origami conventions has taken a > > BIG nosedive over this. > > This has rattled me, solidly, for the past week. I am horrified to have heard > from friends and colleagues about some of their experiences. But rather than > making me want to avoid the community or its events ... it makes me want to > help fix it. Hence this discussion. > > > There is one aspect of this whole RoC discussion that REALLY bothers me. > > Lots of folks have said they support RoC for lots of reasons. Doesn’t > > sound so bad, writing one of these things looks like the work of a couple > > hours. Enforcing it, another matter entirely. > > > > My employer has a Human Resources Department. Allegations of harassment, > > discrimination and other maladaptive behavior get sent there. Such > > allegations are handled by a professional staff that is well paid and > > trained to handle such situations in a professional manner. > > > > This is what the volunteers of Centerfold have been asked to do. And I > > will note that no where have I seen even one person volunteer to write said > > RoC and/or implement it at Centerfold. > > Actually, we've had one generous list member, with professional experience in > just such things, volunteer right here on the list. Perhaps you missed it? > Carol Martinson stepped up right at the start. > > > I for one don’t want to go anywhere near it. You can wind up in the middle > > of things you don’t want to be in the middle of. > > There was an excellent show on TV for a while called "Dirty Jobs," which > celebrated those who do the work that makes "civilized life possible for the > rest of us." I'd classify this as exactly that. No one is saying this is > especially easy, but that doesn't mean it isn't important to try. > > And here's a thing: have any of the organizations *asked for assistance*? I > haven't seen any organization ask their membership for help drafting such a > thing (not that I couldn't have missed such a call for volunteers, it's not > like I'm a member everywhere nor do I see everything) nor ask specifically > for this kind of volunteer help at conventions. (OrigamiUSA drafted their CoC > internally, I believe, and then added to it with some cyber-specific > guidelines, an effort of which I was a part in my capacity as > website/sysadmin volunteer.) Surely among the larger origami community there > are others who, like Carol, have both professional experience or expertise > they could apply there. Or what about advisors from groups who are frequently > targets of harassment? Might not input from such organizations also guide us? > > So, you all out there - do we have any lawyers, HR folk, event organizers, > etc., who've created and implemented CoCs in their communities who could > step up? Are there volunteers who'd be interested in helping out at > conventions or other events? Are there members of any communities who've been > involved in (or want to start) some kind of education and ally-ship efforts > to open up and bring communities together to support each other? > > Because it seems to me that there's not just the "we convention-goers want > our conventions to be better, organizers please help" here, there's also > *us*. We *are* the community. How can we help each other? > > Maybe it's a tiny thing, but here, I'll start, and I mean it: > > I will be an ally. Anyone, for any reason, at any convention that I'm > attending, can call or message me, or snag me in person, if you need a hand > in a bad situation, or a way to navigate around one. I don't need to know > you. Tell me you need help, and I will do whatever I can. > > Anne
