Our Pledge

To foster an open and inclusive environment, we as students, employees and guests at Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University pledge to do our utmost to make working and studying at Department of Computer Science a harassment-free and accessible experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, ability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, appearance, race, religion or sexual identity and orientation.

Our Standards

Examples of behaviors that contribute to creating a positive environment include (but are not limited to):

• Using welcoming and inclusive language
• Accommodating the needs of people with disabilities in teaching situations
• Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
• Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
• Focusing on what is best for the whole department and its people
• Showing empathy towards other people at the department and outside

Examples of unacceptable behavior include (but are not limited to):

• The use of sexualized language or imagery and unwelcome sexual attention or advances
• Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
• Public or private harassment in person or online
• Publishing others’ private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission
• Denying or devaluating the experiences of others regardless of personal convictions
• Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting

Denmark is a country where we respect the freedom of speech and value humor both in the public sphere and in social relations. This Code of Conduct is not meant to abandon such inherent values in Danish culture, but to state that at CS freedom of speech and humor should be used responsibly and not as means to harass individuals or groups.

Responsibilities

Department management is responsible for clarifying the standards of acceptable behavior and will take appropriate and fair corrective actions in response to instances of unacceptable behavior.

Scope

This Code of Conduct applies to everyone at the Department of Computer Science (CS). This includes students (full and part time), faculty, and staff as well as guests at the department. It applies both within the department and when an individual or a group is officially representing the department in other locations including public spaces. Examples of representing the department include using an official CS email address, posting via an official social media account, or acting as an appointed CS representative.  Representation of the department may be further defined and clarified by department management or research group leaders.

Reporting Violations

Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior can be reported by contacting your manager/supervisor or one of the contact persons at the department:

• Tina Rudolph, Information and Administrative Coordinator (rudolph@cs.au.dk)   
• Andreas Birch Olsen, Study Environment Coordinator (abolsen@cs.au.dk) 
• Kaj Grønbæk, Head of Department (kgronbak@cs.au.dk)
• Lene Hjøllund, Head of Secretariat (lehj@cs.au.dk)

Regardless of whom of the above the report is made to, the report as well as the identity of the reporter will be handled with confidentiality and any actions taken hereafter will be done in close dialogue with the reporter of the incident.

Enforcement

All reports will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances. The person, to whom the report is given, is obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of the incident. Dependent on the severity of the situation there are systems in place at Faculty, University and societal level to take a response further. The decision to escalate a situation further in these systems will be based on the close collaboration between the contact person and the reporter of the incident and will depend on the severity of the situation.