Code Of Conduct | csuswingsociety

INTENT

We love our community and believe it to be a strong, positive, friendly group. We recognize that our community is not perfect, and our events take place within a larger society. Our events are often open to the public. Issues of oppression, coercion, oppression and privilege exist in our community. CSU Swing intends to establish a safe space for all, in our events, workspace, and wherever we do business. We condemn any harassment, violence, and inappropriate behavior within the space we control and oversee, as well as in the broader communities we partake in.

HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE

Abusive, aggressive, violent, harassing, or coercive behavior/conduct towards oneself or others in our scene is unacceptable. We reserve the right to request you leave the space, and may deny return or entry to any of our future events at our discretion. We recognize that miscommunication, maturity, accidents, and misinterpretations play a role in communication and behavior in our community. We take these into consideration, however, we stand by that all dancers and participants are responsible for their own actions and behavior.

HARASSMENT IS DEFINED AS:

“The act of systematic and/or continued unwanted and annoying actions of one party or a group, including threats and demands. The purposes may vary, including racial prejudice, personal malice, an attempt to force someone to quit a job or grant sexual favors, apply illegal pressure to collect a bill, or merely gain sadistic pleasure from making someone fearful or anxious. Acts, gestures or speech that are repeated and undesired.” (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/harassment)

A single action can be defined as harassment if it significantly impacts the individual negatively.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS DEFINED AS:

“Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's [participation], submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for [participation] decisions affecting such individuals, or such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. (29 C.F.R. § 1604.11 [1980])”( http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/sexual+harassment)

Unwanted physical contact such as sexual touching, pinching, squeezing, beating, brushing against, pressing; Inappropriate comments about a person’s appearance and body, joke and speech that aim to humiliate a person, comments and/or jokes that demean a sexual identity, demean an orientation, demean the person of a sexual nature, as well as unwelcome comments of a sexual nature.Solicitation of unwanted sex and sexual favors; unwelcome Intimate questions; and staring at a person’s genital areas or sexualized areas unwelcomely, and Whistling.

CODE OF CONDUCT:

CSU Swing’s events are open to the public no matter age, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, identity, religion, physical appearance, and ability. We are open to all regardless of identity or belief. All members and participants of CSU Swing’s events are asked to respect every member no matter their skill or involvement level and to not judge a book by its cover.

DANCING ETIQUETTE

During a dance it is expected that partners make sure each other are comfortable with your connection, movements, and switching to a closer embrace or connection. Verbal consent is encouraged.

Aerials and drops are not appropriate in social dancing. No aerials are to be done without the consent of both partners. Aerials are only allowed in competitions and jam circles ONLY.

If you feel uncomfortable in any way, at any time, during one of our events please do not fear or hesitate to inform your dance partner, stop a dance, refuse a dance, and or talk to a staff member. You are not obligated to dance or do anything with anyone. You may explain why you deny a dance, or need to stop, but you are not obligated to. If someone has declined to dance with you, do not take it personally and respect the other person’s decision.

Both partners in a dance should take responsibility for their safety and security by paying attention to their surroundings in order to avoid injuring yourself, your partner, and others. If you accidently hit, kick, or slap someone please make sure they are okay and apologize, seek a staff member for medical assistance if there is any care issue.

It is recommended to take a shower, wear deodorant, brush your teeth and bring a change of clothes to a dance or workshop.

Do not correct others’ dancing. If you are specifically asked for feedback or if their dancing may cause an injury you are allowed to give respectful and constructive responses, you may also redirect them to an instructor or staff member for more assistance or feedback.

INTOXICATION

We reserve the right to refuse access to any of our events and or to ask someone to leave the premises. If you are visibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol and making those around you uncomfortable, participating in unacceptable or demeaning behavior we will require you to leave. This is in order to prevent any disturbances of our events and protect yourself and others.

This Code of Conduct was originally created for Intercollegiate Swing. We thank them for letting us use it. (2017)