Travel and Conference Resources

It is National Science Foundation (NSF) policy to foster safe and harassment-free environments wherever science is conducted. NSF recognizes that a community effort is essential to eliminate sexual and other forms of harassment in science and to build inclusive scientific climates where people can learn, grow, and thrive. NSF has taken, and continues to take, steps to help ensure all NSF-funded research and learning environments are free from sexual harassment and other forms of harassment.

For any award that provides support for an NSF-sponsored conference (in whole or in part), the recipient is required to have a policy or code-of-conduct that addresses sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, and sexual assault, and that includes clear and accessible means of reporting violations of the policy or code-of-conduct.

The policy or code-of-conduct must address the method for making a complaint as well as how any complaints received during the conference will be resolved.

Dissemination to Participants
The policy or code-of-conduct must be disseminated to conference participants prior to attendance at the conference as well as made available at the conference itself. Recipients are not required to submit the policy or code-of-conduct for review by NSF.

Disseminate the Code of Conduct to all participants prior to the conference and have on display during the conference.

NSF requires proposers to certify that they have a plan for Safe and Inclusive Working Environments for projects that include off-campus or off-site research (defined as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site, such as fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft). The intent of this new requirement is to provide support and guidance for project team personnel/participants when they do not have readily-available access to resources that support a safe and inclusive working environment.

The Safe and Inclusive Working Environments plan must describe how the following types of behavior will be addressed: abuse of any person, including, but not limited to, harassment, stalking, bullying, or hazing of any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, or in written form; or conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly.

This plan should also identify steps that will be taken to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment, e.g., trainings; processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct; and field support, such as mentor/mentee support mechanisms, regular check-ins, and/or developmental events.

Communications within team and to Mines should be considered in the plan, minimizing singular points within the communications pathway (e.g., a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone), and any special circumstances such as the involvement of multiple organizations or the presence of third parties in the working environment should be taken into account. The process or method for making incident reports as well as how any reports received will be resolved should also be accounted for.

The Safe and Inclusive Working Environments Plan must be disseminated to individuals participating in the off-campus or off-site research prior to departure.

Safe and Inclusive Working Environments Plan Template

Resources

• Office of Research Administration – https://ora.mines.edu/
• Office of Institutional Equity/Title IX – https://sites.mines.edu/oie/
• Human Resources – https://sites.mines.edu/human-resources/
• Policy Prohibiting Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, and Retaliation – https://sites.mines.edu/policy-library/policy-prohibiting-sexual-misconduct-discrimination-and-retaliation/
• Student Code of Conduct – https://sites.mines.edu/policy-library/mines-student-code-of-conduct/
• Faculty Ethical Obligations and Standards (code of conduct) – https://catalog.mines.edu/facultyhandbook/6ethicsresponsibilitiesconflictsexternalactivities/62-faculty-ethical-obligations-standards/
• Statement of Equal Opportunity, Access, and Nondiscrimination – https://sites.mines.edu/equal-opportunity/
• NSF Stopping Harassment and Assault – https://new.nsf.gov/stopping-harassment