(Formerly known as "harassment policy", passed by the board of directors September 14, 2017) INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT DEFINITION: Behaviors that don’t work for members of the community that are not covered in Social Code Violations (2), Harassment Policy (3), or Emergency Process (4). RESPONSE TIME: 1 week PROCESS: Within 1 week, CAT Team member must designate Dispute Form as Interpersonal Conflict and notify all involved parties; schedule initial mediation. If either involved parties refuses mediation, the CAT Team Member may elevate the dispute to a Social Code Violation. POTENTIAL OUTCOMES: recommended or mandatory training or workshop attendance; apology, public or private; mediation; restriction on guest access of space and property.
SOCIAL CODE VIOLATIONS DEFINITION: Any action or inaction that prevents or discourages another member from living and/or boarding in their assigned house or room. By signing a Membership Contract each SCA member agrees to Regularly attend house meetings and participate in house governance Establish lines of communication with the SCA and respond appropriately Complete all jobs and work party when they are due Not endanger house security Respect privacy and personal space of members and guests Work *proactively* to resolve disputes in a forthright, peaceful, and civil manner Communicate and coordinate with house governance and SCA governance The respectful use and timely return of SCA equipment.
Failure to comply with any and all social code agreements listed above may result in a dispute form being filed by concerned parties
RESPONSE TIME: 1 week PROCESS: 1 week from a CAT Team member receiving Dispute Form to first steps (contact all involved parties; schedule mediation; schedule follow-up with CAT team or involved house coordinators) POTENTIAL OUTCOMES: Membership Revocation and Eviction; removal from house, committee, or board position; relocation to another room or house; mandatory training or workshop attendance; apology, public or private; mediation; restitution or compensation; restriction on guest access of space and property.
HARASSMENT DEFINITION: threats or allusions of physical violence, malicious remarks or behavior, intimidation, unwanted physical contact, stalking, tampering with personal property, verbal threats, invasion of personal space, manipulation, coercion, discrimination (including but not limited to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, citizenship, marital status, religion, political beliefs, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical ability, mental ability, health, age, veteran status, height, or weight), and uncorrected targeted prejudicial statements. RESPONSE TIME: 2 weeks PROCESS Within 1 week, CAT Team member must designate Dispute Form as harassment, notify all involved parties, and convene the CAT Team to make a recommendation to the board. The board must first meet within 1 week of the CAT meeting. This first meeting must be called within 48 hours of the CAT Team meeting adjourning. The CAT Team must gather pertinent evidence, including interviews, testimony, etc, to present at this first board meeting. After 24 hours, the board will have a second meeting to reach a final decision with a 2/3 majority vote. If the accused refuses to cooperate with the decision of the board, they will be evicted.
CAT Team may intervene with specific measures ensuring member safety, such as temporary rehousing. POTENTIAL OUTCOMES: Eviction; permanent membership ban, ban from SCA property; removal from house, committee, or board position; placement in another room or house; restitution or compensation; restriction of all forms of contact with certain persons; termination of SCA employment; APPEALS: An appeal is a process for requesting a formal change to an official decision. No decision to place a member on referral shall be overturned or otherwise set aside unless: It can be proven that there was a prejudicial error or omission in the procedures that seriously impacted the outcome of the case. It can be proven that the evidence clearly does not support the findings. Sanctions are insufficient or excessive relative to the violation. There is new evidence not reasonably available at the time of the hearing.
Any member may file an appeal within 7 days of receiving a hearing decision. Members having prior direct experience with the case or proceedings under appeal may not participate in the Appeal Process, except as witnesses to the original hearing, or to testify in defense of the original decision Decisions on appeals must be rendered within 14 days of the appeal’s submission. All appeals rulings are final.
EMERGENCY PROCESS, (3-day Eviction) DEFINITION: Life-threatening behaviors, malicious and severe damage to SCA or personal property, sexual assault, assault. PROCESS Notify the SCA emergency team, comprised of the SCA President and each house’s elected Emergency Representative, or their appointed proxy if they are unavailable. The Emergency Team must meet within 24 hours to decide whether the behavior warrants eviction or qualifies as a harassment case, and what outside resources to call upon.
POTENTIAL OUTCOMES: Eviction, hand-off to CAT team (bumped down to tiers 1-3 in the Dispute Policy), permanent membership ban, ban from SCA property.
When the conflict is resolved, all involved parties will sign a disclaimer, which acknowledges that the appropriate process was followed and they will abide by the decision outcome.
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