TESS Science Conference I

July 29 - Aug 2 2019, MIT / Cambridge, USA

• February 1st: Open abstract submission.
• March 1st: Splinter session abstract deadline.
• March 20th: Open registration and requests for financial support.
• May 1st: Talks and posters abstract deadline, financial support requests deadline.
• May 31st: Announcement of the program and decisions on financial support requests.
• June 14th: Regular registration deadline.
• July 29th: The first day of the Conference.

The TESS Science Conference organizers are committed to making this meeting productive and enjoyable for all participants, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance or ability, ethnicity, nationality, or religious beliefs. We will not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Please follow these guidelines:

• Behave professionally. Harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary comments or jokes are not appropriate. See below for further explication of harassment.
• All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience of people from many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate for the subject matter covered by the TESS Science Conference.
• Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees. Be especially considerate and supportive to those more junior in their careers than yourself.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination, related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical appearance or ability, race, age, or religious beliefs
• Sexual images in public spaces
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
• Harassing photography or recording
• Sustained disruption of talks or other events
• Inappropriate physical contact
• Unwelcome sexual attention
• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, event organisers retain the right to take action to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the conference.

Event organisers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants.

We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues and event-related social activities.

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, or you witness someone being made to feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible to the LOC or SOC. LOC and SOC members can be found listed above.

You can make a report either personally or anonymously.

You can make an anonymous report here.

We can't follow up an anonymous report with you directly, but we will fully investigate it and take whatever action is necessary to prevent a recurrence.

You can make a personal report by:

• Calling or messaging this phone number: (626) 470-7075. This phone number will be continuously monitored for the duration of the event.
• Contacting a member of the SOC or LOC.

When taking a personal report, we will ensure you are safe and cannot be overheard. We may involve other event staff to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we'll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we'll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won't be asked to confront anyone and we won't tell anyone who you are.

Our team will be happy to help you contact hotel/venue security, local law enforcement, local support services, provide escorts, or otherwise assist you to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance. Members of Astronomy Allies will also be attending the event and can be identified by their Ally badges.

This anti-harassment policy is based on the example policy from the Geek Feminism wiki, created by the Ada Initiative and other volunteers. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Zero license.