The Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) mission statement holds that the organization’s mission is the “promotion of research and partnerships that can inform education policy and finance and improve education outcomes.” AEFP annual conferences, board meetings, and professional development and networking sessions are convened for the purpose of advancing this mission, as well as to promote scholarly interchange in the spirit of free inquiry and free expression. AEFP organizers are dedicated to providing a safe and collaborative experience for everyone, including attendees, vendors, and staff.
Discrimination, harassment, or intimidation on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, physical appearance, age, religion, national origin, veteran status, citizenship, or professional rank or other legally protected traits are antithetical to the AEFP mission and will not be tolerated.
Attendees at any AEFP event should be aware of the power dynamics between themselves and others. In particular, attendees must be aware of any power differentials between more and less senior personnel and between individuals belonging to different types of AEFP’s member groups. AEFP members and event attendees, especially those who hold positions of relative power, should work to ensure that everyone experiences harassment-free AEFP events and gatherings and are treated with respect and hold themselves to the highest professional standards.
All participants in AEFP events– including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, AEFP staff, members of the media, and service providers – are expected to abide by this AEFP Code of Conduct. This Code applies to all AEFP members and event attendees in all AEFP meeting venues, including, but not limited to, the annual conference, ancillary events and social gatherings, whether officially sponsored by AEFP or not and whether held in-person or virtually.
Expected Behavior
- Carry out their activities and behaviors with integrity and the highest professional standards.
- Abide by the norms of professional respect that are necessary to promote the AEFP mission.
- Promote collaboration, cooperation, and mutual respect among AEFP members.
- Respect and value a diversity of views and opinions (including those you may not share).
- Communicate openly and with respect for other participants, critiquing ideas rather than individuals.
- Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech directed toward other attendees, participants, AEFP staff and vendors.
- Respect the rules and policies of AEFP (e.g., regarding social media dissemination), meeting venues, hotels, AEFP-contracted facilities, or any other venue.
- Actively seek to prevent, report, or mitigate any offensive behavior participants may witness by others.
Unacceptable Behavior
- Persistent and unwelcome solicitation of emotional or physical intimacy.
- Discriminatory, intimidating, harassing, abusive, derogatory or demeaning speech or actions related to gender, race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, physical appearance, age, religion, national origin, veteran status, citizenship, or professional rank.
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following.
- Harassing photography or recording.
- Physical assault, including unwelcome touch or groping.
- Real or implied threat of physical harm.
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
Reporting & Consequences:
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, or if you witness unacceptable behavior, please contact AEFP staff and board members, or email info@aefpweb.org. AEFP staff and board members can be identified at in-person events by the labels “STAFF” or “BOARD OF DIRECTORS” on their name badges. Their pictures and biographies are also available on the AEFP website for ease of recognition.
AEFP takes reports of discriminatory or unprofessional conduct with utmost seriousness. All reports will be given a thorough, fair, and prompt. Confidentiality will be maintained during AEFP’s investigation to the extent possible without jeopardizing the thoroughness of the investigation or as allowed by law.
At the conclusion of the investigation, AEFP leadership or their designees will, in response to reports of unacceptable behavior, take any action deemed necessary and appropriate. Consequences may include warnings, removal from the meeting or event with or without warning or refund, and exclusion from any future AEFP meeting.
If an event participant witnesses or is a party to physical danger or distress, promptly alert security, law enforcement, or emergency medical authorities.
Dissemination and Media Policy:
In all sessions, each presenter is responsible for indicating whether or not their work may be cited, tweeted, photographed, recorded, or otherwise disseminated. Similarly, questions from the floor or other session dialog may not be disseminated without explicit permission. All presentations are assumed to be off the record unless the presenter otherwise specifies.
Audience members are expected to respect each author’s policy and act accordingly, as work may be embargoed. Audience members should be mindful of each author’s policy, and act accordingly. The Annual Conference, networking and professional development events, and other AEFP-sponsored events are for AEFP members, and as such defer to each member’s needs regarding outreach and embargoes of research.