We as members, contributors, and leaders pledge to make participation in our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, color, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.
We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community. The goal of our program is to foster supportive mentorship, personal development, and lasting connection between peers.
Diversity and Inclusion are among our greatest strengths, though they can sometimes present challenges in communication and overall team cohesion. To that end, we have a few ground rules that we ask people to adhere to.
We expect all community participants (mentors, contributors, paid or otherwise; sponsors; and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct in all community venues–online and in-person–as well as in all one-on-one communications pertaining to community business.
This code of conduct and its related procedures also applies to unacceptable behavior occuring outside the scope of community activities when such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members.
We strive to create a positive learning and working environment through inclusive and supportive behavior.
Examples of behavior that contributes to a positive environment for our community include:
- Be friendly and patient
- Demonstrating empathy and kindness toward other people
- Being respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints, and experiences
- Giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback
- Accepting responsibility and apologizing to those affected by our mistakes, and learning from the experience
- Focusing on what is best not just for us as individuals, but for the overall community
- Recognizing the real-world impact of technology and encouraging responsible, secure, and accessible innovation
The following behaviors are considered harassment and are unacceptable within our community:
- Violence, threats of violence or violent language directed against another person.
- Discriminatory language, personal insults, or other unconstructive behavior, including sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist remarks, trolling, or harassment directed at others.
- Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material.
- Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information ("doxing").
- Inappropriate photography or recording.
- Inappropriate physical contact or unwelcome sexual attention, including sexualized comments, advances, or other unwanted conduct of a sexual nature.
- Deliberate intimidation, harassment of any kind, stalking or following.
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
- Sustained disruption of community events, including talks and presentations.
- Disruption of conversation in the form of interrupting others that are currently speaking.
- Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting
By choosing to engage with our community, you commit to aligning with our values and expectations for behavior.
Safety is of high priority, and as such we will take as many possible actions to ensure everyone feels safe in the event of a potential violation of our code of conduct.
Section 100.00
102.20 Firearms, Knives and Other Weapons
(a) Possession, use, or manufacture of a firearm or other weapon as prohibited by University regulations. University regulations and California law prohibit possession or use of firearms on University property or at official University functions.
(b) Possession of a knife as defined in the California Penal Code, Section 626.10. This section prohibits anyone from bringing or possessing a dirk, dagger, ice pick, or knife having a fixed blade longer than 2.5 inches, including a folding knife with a blade that locks into place, on or in University property or at official University functions except as expressly permitted by law.
(c) Possession on University property or at official University functions of a “less than lethal weapon,” including but not limited to those defined in California Penal Code 626.10: stun guns, Tasers, bow or crossbows designed to shoot arrows, BB or pellet gun, slingshot, blow-guns, paint-ball guns, pepper spray in canisters larger than 2.5 ounces, or tear gas weapons are prohibited. Weapons allowed by the California Penal Code for training purposes, such as swords, nun-chucks, or sais for a martial arts class are not allowed in University -owned or -leased housing. Martial arts weapons are not to be openly displayed on campus outside of Athletics and Recreation martial arts classes and, if not stored in a locker at Athletics and Recreation, these weapons must be locked in a container while traveling to and from class and locked in the trunk of a car while not in use.
(d) Possession or use of a facsimile or replica firearm or weapon is prohibited.
Student Handbook : Section 100.00
Unacceptable behavior from any participant or person with decision making authority will not be tolerated. Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. If a participant or person with decision making authority engages in unacceptable behavior, the community organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including:
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Temporary or permanent removal from the Contributor Catalyst Program
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Loss of current or pending payment
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Forfeiture of any associated benefits regardless of work already completed
If you believe anyone is in immediate physical danger, please notify appropriate law enforcement first. (In Santa Cruz, dialing 911 is the best way to do this, on- or off-campus. If you are unable to call, you can also text 911 as outlined here. For non-emergency situations, please submit a report as outlined below and community organizers will notify law enforcement if necessary.
Additionally, community organizers are available to help community members engage with local law enforcement or to otherwise help those experiencing unacceptable behavior feel safe. For in-person, after-hours support, you can contact UCSC's Safety Dispatch Office Line: (831) 459-2100. Community Safety Officers (CSOs) are visible in campus residential communities from 7pm to 3am nightly, and may also be approached for help.
If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify a community organizer as soon as possible:
- Emily Lovell (she/her) : emme@soe.ucsc.edu
- Stephanie Lieggi (she/her) : slieggi@ucsc.edu
If you believe someone is violating the code of conduct we ask that you report it to the community organizers listed above. If a report involved a community organizer - or you would feel more comfortable reporting to someone else at UC Santa Cruz - you may also reach out to:
- Melissa Chimwaza (she/her), African, Black, Caribbean Student Retention Specialist (mchimwaz@ucsc.edu)
The identity of any individuals involved in a report will remain confidential, unless consent is given or required by campus procedures or by law.
In your report please include:
- Your contact info (so we can get in touch with you if we need to follow up).
- Names (real, nicknames, or pseudonyms) of any individuals involved. If there were other witnesses besides you, please try to include them as well.
- When and where the incident occurred. Please be as specific as possible.
- Your account of what occurred. If there is a publicly available record (e.g. a mailing list archive or a public IRC logger) please include a link.
- Any extra context you believe existed for the incident.
- If you believe this incident is ongoing.
- Any other information you believe we should have.
If you are unsure whether the incident is a violation, or whether the space where it happened is covered by this Code of Conduct, we encourage you to still report it. We would much rather have a few extra reports where we decide to take no action, rather than miss a report of an actual violation. We do not look negatively on you if we find the incident is not a violation. And knowing about incidents that are not violations, or happen outside our spaces, can also help us to improve the Code of Conduct or the processes surrounding it.
Please keep in mind that this reporting process is meant to be constructive. Therefore, we would like to dissuade abusing the reporting procedures with malicious intent.
If you feel you have been falsely or unfairly accused of violating this Code of Conduct, you should report it to community organizers or any other parties listed under the Reporting Guidelines section above, with a concise description of your grievance. Your grievance will be handled in accordance with our existing governing policies.
Additionally, we would like to encourage a cooperative environment so we ask that you settle any prior personal disputes with community members before joining the group. As for personal disputes that occur during the in-person portion of the program, please contact the community organizers. We strive to have a friendly community, and as such, our community organizers are more than willing to help participants reach a common ground.
- Take ownership of your contributions. You are responsible for the content you share.
- Review and revise AI-generated responses before posting. Ensure they reflect your own understanding and voice.
- Apply your expertise to validate that the information is accurate, relevant, and helpful.
These practices support a community built on trust, collaboration, and mutual respect. Misuse of AI is considered a violation of our Code of Conduct.
This Code of Conduct is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.
Portions of this code of conduct are derived from the Citizen Code of Conduct, Contributor Covenant, Django.
Our AI policy is adapted and inspired by Microsoft's Responsible AI principles.
License: MIT License
In addition, this Code of Conduct was reviewed and edited by the author and the current and past cohorts of the Contributor Catalyst summer mentorship program
This Code of Conduct is a living document collaboratively co-authored, reviewed, and refined by the Contributor Catalyst Team.
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