DRAFT The Rhododendron Research Network (R-RN) GitHub is intended to foster the exchange of scientific ideas, providing participants with an opportunity to participate in research, establish/renew collaborations, to learn, teach, and network with a diverse community of professional and citizen scientists.

R-RN chair and working group leaders are committed to creating an environment where everyone can participate without harassment, discrimination, or violence of any kind.

All participants must be treated with respect and consideration.

Participation in R-RN working group activities, including this GitHub Repository, is considered an agreement to abide by this policy.

Harassment of any R-RN associate or participant will not be tolerated, either in person or online. Unacceptable behavior includes, but is not limited to • offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), nationality, native language, or technology choices • unwelcome comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, or employment • sustained or willful disruption of discussions, talks, or other events, including online discussion. • deliberate intimidation • continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease • unwanted photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes • pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others • inappropriate physical contact without consent or after a request to stop. In virtual settings, inappropriate simulated physical contact used without consent, such as textual descriptions like “hug” or “backrub” or emojis representing such contacts. • stalking or following, including in virtual settings behavior such as persistent unwanted direct messages, sending unwanted pictures or malware links, or logging online activity for harassment purposes. • threats of violence or incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm • use of sexual or discriminatory imagery, comments, or jokes • unwelcome sexual attention, which can include inappropriate questions of a sexual nature, asking for sexual favors, or repeatedly asking for dates or contact information. • deliberate ‘outing’ of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from intentional abuse • deliberate misgendering or use of ‘dead’ or rejected names • non-consensual publication of non-harassing private communication, including screenshots of private discussion channels or direct messages. We prioritize marginalized people’s safety over privileged people’s comfort. We will not act on complaints regarding: • ‘reverse’ -isms, including ‘reverse racism,’ ‘reverse sexism,’ and ‘cisphobia’ • reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone,” “go away,” or “I’m not discussing this with you” • communicating in a ’tone’ you don’t find congenial • criticizing racist, sexist, cissexist, or otherwise oppressive behavior or assumptions

Anyone violating the code of conduct may be: (a) asked to stop, (b) prohibited from participating in working group/network activities, and/or (c) expelled from the working group/network.

This Code of Conduct applies to all people participating in the R-RN, including committee members and leadership. It applies to all modes of interaction online including GitHub project repositories, the R-RN discussion forum, Zoom, Community Calls, and in person at R-RN-hosted events or events officially endorsed by R-RN, including social gatherings affiliated with the event.

Reporting Guidelines The R-RN Code of Conduct Committee includes Juliana Medeiros (R-RN Chair), Alan Elliott (R-RN Taxonomy Working Group Leader) and X PERSON(S) TO BE IDENTIFIED People wishing to report a violation of this code of conduct should submit a report to the committee as soon as possible (LINK TO FORM). Alternatively, you may make a report directly to one member of the Committee by contacting them directly. If any member of the Committee has a conflict of interest with a report, they will be recused and will not have access to the content or process of the report follow-up. At an in-person R-RN event, please reach out to anyone named as a member of that event-specific Code of Conduct Committee, or to venue staff or security who will be present throughout the event.

The Code of Conduct Committee will investigate and decide responses to reports with the aim of making a decision and implementing enforcement as soon as is reasonably possible. We are committed to transparency with our community while upholding the privacy of victims and people who report incidents. Confidentiality will be maintained unless disclosure is legally required.

We welcome your feedback by email to Juliana or dedicated email?, and we thank you for working with us to make R-RN a safe, enjoyable, friendly and enriching experience for everyone who participates.

License and Credits

The R-RN Code of Conduct has been influenced by and adapted from rOpenSci (https://ropensci.org/code-of-conduct/).