RASC Anti-Harassment Policy

[Ed.Mizzi]

To All Members, Please read the following message from RASC National. You can find the RASC Policy Manual at the following link but you will have to log in to the members' area.

http://www.rasc.ca/system/files/RASC_Policy_Manual_2018_Ver5.5.pdf

Dear Centre Presidents:
A working group under Heather Laird with the legal assistance of Michael Watson has just revised section G24 Anti-Harassment Policy in the RASC Policy Manual. The Board has just approved this amendment. This policy applies to and protects all members, guests, staff, contractors, exhibitors and others who attend or participate in any meeting or other activity of the RASC.
It is the policy of the RASC that all Participants in Society or Centre meeting and other activities will enjoy an environment free from all forms of harassment and discrimination. This includes being free from retaliation for making a complaint or participating in an investigation of a complaint made under this policy. The RASC is committed to providing an atmosphere that encourages free expression and the exchange of ideas. In pursuit of that principle, the RASC is dedicated to equality of opportunity and treatment for all Participants, regardless of sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, national or ethnic origin, religion or religious belief, age, marital status, disabilities, or any other characteristic that is not related to scientific merit. These are collectively referred to in the policy as “Protected Characteristics”. Harassment, sexual or otherwise, is misconduct that undermines the integrity of the RASC and is disruptive of Society activities. Such misconduct is prohibited, and violators of this policy will be subject to discipline.

The amendments to G24 more clearly define harassment and separate it from section G23 Conflict and Complaint Resolution which is an entirely different and separate process. The amended policy allows Centres to resolve harassment issues and provides an appeal to the Society’s Board of Directors. The new policy provides more outcomes for disciplinary action than the previous version, including warnings, exclusion from Centre activities, or termination of membership. The new policy specifically provides direction in dealing with emergency situations and makes retaliation an offense.
The updated Policy Manual Version 5.5 has been uploaded to the national website. We’d appreciate it if your help in sharing information about this new policy with our membership.
Regards, Charles Ennis
National Secretary
778-458-2666
 

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[Roger Hill]

The RASC National Policy Manual, V5.5 can also be found at:
Hamilton Centre, RASC Forum » For Members Only » Welcome to the Hamilton Centre » RASC National Policy Manual 2018 Version 5.5

[Victor.Abraham]

Our Center has completed a review of the RASC National and Toronto Centre policies and we've created our own version. The framework we're implementing starts with three documents (all posted here):

• The Policy - Details definitions, statement of policy, reporting incidents, investigation process, resolution, appeals and review process (As we often engage in public outreach, this document will be available on the Centre's public website)
• Incident Reporting Form - capturing details of an incident (This document is a fillable PDF and accompanies The Policy on our public website)
• Conflict of Interest Attestation Form - Capturing the attestation of conflicts of interest for committee members selected to gather facts of an incident. (This document is a fillable PDF and is only available internally within the forum)

Please reach out to me or to Erin if you have any questions regarding the policy.

Please refer to the most recent revision of the Policy - all other documents attached in this message are still valid (as at April 2024)

[Ed.Mizzi]

Kudos to Erin and Victor for the work they did on this policy, an integral part of any society, group or club.

Ed

[Victor.Abraham]

Slight revision to the policy undertaken by myself to section E iv. a.

The existing section reads:

a. The Complaint will be provided, by a Committee member, as agreed upon, to the Alleged Offender, along with a copy of this Policy.

The revised version will read:

a. A summary of the Complaint will be provided, by a Committee member, as agreed upon, to the Alleged Offender, along with a copy of this Policy.

This change is being made to maintain the confidentiality, as is best possible, of the Complainant and those involved in the Complaint.

As a result of this change the document version has been updated from 1.0 to 1.1 (as this is non-material representing a minor change). To track these and any future changes, a new section has been added to the end of the document. This new version of the policy will be uploaded to our website and can be found attached.