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STRATHCLYDE OPEN 2015

EQUITY POLICY
17 OCTOBER

Scope
I.

The equity officer has absolute discretion over all offences and actions taken.

II. The rules and regulations contained within this document apply to all competition events,
including but not limited to rounds, adjudication, socials, and crash.
III. The rules and regulations contained within this document apply to any and all attendants of the
Strathclyde Open.

Gender Pronoun Policy


I.

Gender Pronoun Policy


A. Before the beginning of every debate, when everyone introduces themselves to the room,
they will also specify their preferred gender pronoun or pronouns.
B. All participants are requited to follow these gender pronouns for the entirety of the event,
including socials.

II. Consequences of policy violation


A. In the case of an accident, the person is encouraged to take the time to correct themselves
an issue an apology.
B. In the case where the person has purposefully used the wrong pronoun in an attempt to
hurt or distress someone, then anyone involved in the situation may feel free to bring that
person to equity.

General Equity Policy


I.

The equity officer has absolute discretion over all offences and actions taken.

II. Cases excluding sexual misconduct


A. Definitions
1. Offended party: any person directly effected by the action in question.
2. Offender: any person who has committed an equity violation, or who may have
committed an equity violation that is being investigated.
3. Reporter: the person who brought the issue to the equity officer.
B. List of equity violations (non-exhaustive)
1. Intimidating behaviour, verbal or physical
2. Violence or threat of violence
3. Harassment or assault
4. Racist, homophobic, classist, transphobic, sexist, or other bigoted comments or actions

5. Derogatory or hurtful comments or actions intended to cause distress to another judge


or competitor
6. Derogatory or hurtful comments or actions to participants based on their institution
7. Attempts by participants to undermine other participants while they are speaking by
being rude or disrespectful to that participant
C. Consequences of equity violations
1. In a case where the equity officer has established that the offender has committed an
equity violation accidentally or unintentionally (i.e. using language they did not know to
be offensive), then the equity officer will carefully explain why the offenders actions
were an equity concern, with edification and understanding being the most important
aims. The offender will be issued with a soft warning.
2. In a case where the equity officer has established that the offender has committed an
equity violation of minor to intermediate severity, the offender will be given a severe
warning and asked to apologise to all involved.
3. In a case where the equity officer has established that the offender has committed an
equity violation of intermediate to major severity, the offender will be asked to leave the
event immediately.
a) If a case is serious enough, it may warrant further action. This action will be taken at
the equity officers discretion, and may include discussion with the host unions
committee.
4. In a case where the actions of the offender has intentionally caused physical harm to
another participant, the offender will be asked to leave the event immediately.
5. In a case where an offender has been brought to equity for the second time at the same
event, regardless of severity, the offender will be asked to leave the event immediately.
III. Sexual misconduct
A. Definitions
1. Sexual harassment: any verbal act of a sexual nature without consent that creates an
unsafe atmosphere, perpetuates non-consensual or rape culture, or otherwise
threatens the safety of any participants.
2. Sexual assault: any physical sexual act without consent.
3. Offended party: the person who was directly affected by the sexual misconduct.
4. Reporter: the person who brought the issue to the equity officer.
5. Offender: any person who has committed an equity violation, or who may have
committed an equity violation that is being investigated.
B. Consequences of sexual misconduct
1. In a case where the equity officer has established that a participant has sexually
harassed another person, the offender will be asked to leave the event.
2. In a case where the equity officer has established that a participant has sexually
assaulted another person, the offender will be asked to leave the event. There are
absolutely no exceptions to this consequence.

a) The offender may also face further consequences, after a confidential discussion
with the committee.
b) Additionally, the offended party may choose to take legal action against the offender.
In this case the equity officer will assist in any way possible.
IV. Confidentiality
A. In all cases of equity, all parties involved will be protected with the utmost confidentiality,
and the names or identifying details of all parties involved will never be intentionally shared
with anyone unless it is deemed absolutely necessary.
B. Unless it is against the express wishes of all parties involved, all equity violations will be
recorded in writing, with the time and date of the event and a description as well as the
name of the equity officer concerned. None of this information will include names of any
people involved, nor will it include any identifying details.
C. Banning or Further Consequences
1. If there is a situation in which the offender may be banned from future host union
events, or if there is a situation in which further action must be taken against the
offender, then the equity officer will have discretion over these situations. This may
include a discussion with the committee of the host union, which will abide by the
utmost confidentiality.
2. If the EUDU committee has come to a decision that the offender will be banned, they
can either be banned from (a) all future internal EUDU events and/or (b) all future
EUDU competitions.

What happens in the case of an equity concern


I.

Something happens to raise concern. Even if you are unsure whether or not what happened
is an equity violation, it is still important to raise your concerns and proceed to the next step.
Even what may seem like a small concern should be addressed adequately so that everyone
can feel safe at an event. You may be the person directly effected by the equity violation, or
you may be a witness to a violation. No matter who you are in the situation, you are fully
encouraged to voice your concerns.

II. Tell someone. You may choose to bring up this concern immediately after it happens, or at a
time when you feel comfortable. However, you are encouraged to voice your concern before
the end of the event, so that it is much easier for the equity officer to establish what happened
and help you to the best of their ability. You can bring your concern to the official equity officer
at the event. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, then you can do any of the following:
A. Tell a friend and ask them to help you bring up this equity concern.
B. Tell another organiser at the competition.
C. Tell anyone you trust.
III. Have a discussion. The equity officer will ask you what happened, when it happened, and
other details about your concern. You may choose to remain anonymous about your concern
(Note: if you are the person directly affected by the equity violation and you choose to remain

anonymous, the offender will not be able to issue a personal apology. The rest of the
consequences, however, will remain the same).
IV. The equity officer listens to all accounts. The equity officer will then ask the other people
involved, such as the person who committed the equity violation and a friend who raised the
equity concern with you. The equity violation will be recorded in writing with the time, date,
description, and equity officers name. This record will not include any names of people
involved or any identifying details.
V. The equity officer works with you to decide on what to do next. This is tailored differently
depending on the situation, and in all cases the equity officer has complete discretion over all
cases. Sometimes, this means that the person who violated equity is required to apologise. In
other cases, you may decide that you just want the offender to know that what they did was
wrong. In the most serious cases, the offender will be removed from the event, or you will want
to take legal action, which we will help you with.

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