Code of Conduct

Last updated: 30th January 2025

Welcome to birmingHack! Our goal is to create a hackathon environment where attendees can grow, learn from each other, and have fun; one which is also inclusive, accessible and friendly for everyone, regardless of their gender (identity and expression), age, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, physical appearance, size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices.

This Code of Conduct is intended to help faciliate this, and it should be interpreted with those goals in mind. We expect all attendees to abide by this Code of Conduct, which also includes organisers, sponsors, partners, judges, and any other staff involved with the running of the event.

Aspirations

All attendees, whether hacker or organiser, should aspire to do the following.

Respect each other. Speak kindly, listen actively, and avoid interrupting or dismissing others.

Be thoughtful. Avoid jokes or comments that could make others feel uncomfortable. Respect each others personal boundaries.

Take responsibility. What you say and do matters. You are responsible for your words and actions, including their consequences, whether intended or otherwise.

Collaborate and share knowledge. Help others when you can and be open to learning from different perspectives. Hackathons are naturally competitive, but we are all here to learn from one another.

Look out for each other. Hackathons can be overwhelming. Check in with and support one another.

This isn’t an exhaustive list. Rather, take it in the spirit in which it’s intended: fostering a hackathon environment where attendees can learn and grow.

Unacceptable behaviour

Any of the following behaviour is expressly forbidden.

• Insulting, demeaning, hateful, or threatening remarks.
• Discrimination based on gender (identity and expression), age, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, physical appearance, size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices.
• Bullying or systematic harassment.
• Unwelcome sexual advances, including sexually explicit content.
• Inappropriate physical contact or deliberate intimidation.
• Sustained disruption of the event.

Any attendees observed breaking this Code of Conduct may be asked to leave the event, be barred from all future events, reported to the Guild of Students or School of Computer Science, or reported to local law enforcement as appropriate.

Reporting

If you experience or witness any violations of this Code of Conduct, or wish to make a complaint, please report it via the following channels:

Directly to an organiser. If you are comfortable reaching out directly to an organiser during the event, then please speak to them in-person and they will advise you on next steps.

Online via email. If this behaviour happens online, or you are unable to reach out in-person, then you can email the Computer Science Society directly at css@guild.bham.ac.uk.

To the Guild of Students. If you feel that the organisers have not adequately handled your complaint, your complaint is about the actions of a particular organiser, or if you do not feel comfortable reaching out to the organisers, then you can contact the Guild of Students, of which the Computer Science Society is a member of.

Acknowledgments

This Code of Conduct draws from Go Community Code of Conduct, which itself is adapted from the Contributor Covenant.