Code of Conduct
The Developmental Biology of the Sea Urchin and other Marine Invertebrates (DBSUMI) community
and the MBL are committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for all participants. MBL is
strongly committed to promoting principles of integrity, civility, and respect.
DBSUMI and MBL’s meetings should provide an effective forum to consider and debate scientific
viewpoints in a respectful, civil, and fair manner. Conference participants are expected to uphold
standards of scientific integrity and professional ethics and must comply with these standards of
behavior. To that end, all conference attendees must comply with the MBL Code of Conduct
applicable to all attendees of any conference held at the MBL.
The policies described in the MBL Code of Conduct apply to all attendees, speakers, volunteers, and
guests attending the meeting and related activities and include engagement via online platforms.
These policies will be in effect during all oral and poster sessions as well as social and dining
engagements both on and off the MBL campus (e.g. at local bars and restaurants).
Prohibited behaviors at DBSUMI and MBL meetings include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Physical assault (including unwelcome touching or groping)
• Unwelcome or uninvited attention or contact
• Real or implied threat of physical, professional, or financial damage or harm
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
• Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning speech or actions
• Harmful or prejudicial verbal or written comments or visual images related to, among other
things, race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation/preference, age, or
disability (including in presentation slides)
• Inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images (including in presentation slides)
• Photographing persons or presentations without permission
• Disruption of scientific sessions or other events
Reporting Misconduct
Any violations of the above code of conduct – either experienced or witnessed – should be reported to
the local meeting organizer and/or to on-site security personnel.
Violations may also be reported anonymously with instructions and contact information detailed in
MBL’s Harassment Policy Webpage. Complaints will be directed to the conference organizers via
email and investigated with the same gravity as those reported in person and MBL’s EEO Office and
AOR. Violations may also be reported through the MBL housing office, which has established
procedures in place to deal with misconduct on its campus.
Any person experiencing harassment is not required to discuss the incident with the offending party
unless they feel comfortable doing so. All complaints will be treated seriously and addressed promptly.
Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent that it does not compromise the rights of others or the
need to conduct an adequate investigation and to the extent allowed by law.
Consequences of Harassment
The MBL and DBSUMI organizers reserve the right to remove any attendee, without a refund, who has
violated MBL’s and DBSUMI’s Code of Conduct and may request the assistance of on-site security
and/or police if necessary. Violators of the Code of Conduct may be barred from future DBSUMI
meetings.
Additional Resources
State and Federal Remedies
MBL strongly encourages anyone who believes they have been harassed to bring the matter to MBL’s
EEO and AOR’s attention as highlighted in the Harassment Policy. Inquiries or concerns may also be
directed to the governmental agencies responsible for the enforcement of employment discrimination
laws within 300 days of an incident:
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, One Ashburton Place, Sixth Floor, Room 601,
Boston, MA 02108, 617-994-6000
United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, JFK Federal Building, 475Government
Center, Boston , MA 02203 , 800-669-4000
All members of the MBL community and conference attendees are expected to be aware of this policy
and of the types of conduct that constitute unlawful harassment, as well as the avenues of assistance
provided by MBL for addressing complaints. Compliance with this policy is the condition of each
employee’s employment and of each outside participant’s status in a program.
Policy clarification and updates are available from the MBL EEO Coordinator, 508 289-7378
or eeo@mbl.edu
Any person experiencing harassment also retains the right to notify the NIH about concerns of
harassment, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and other forms of inappropriate conduct.
For additional information, please see: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/harassment/find-help.htm.