The Society for the Study of Reproduction prohibits discrimination, bullying and all forms of harassment including any kind of sexual, gender, disability, racial, ethnic or other type of harassment. SSR is committed to providing a meeting environment in which all individuals are welcomed, are treated with respect and dignity, and are free from all forms of harassment and discrimination. All attendees of the SSR annual meeting are expected to adhere to this code of conduct policy, failure to do so will not be tolerated.
Reporting Harassment
If you experience or witness any form of harassment or violation of this code of conduct, please immediately report it to the SSR President. This incident report will be immediately (within 4 hours) reported to the SSR President and shared with the Executive Council (comprised of the SSR President, Past President, Vice-President, Vice-President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer). The names of all individuals involved will remain confidential within the group of 6 Executive Officers at all times. The Executive Council will meet, document allegations, and determine how to respond based on guidelines from the HHS Office for Civil Rights. Response will also be documented and will include a notification of the unacceptable behavior to the individual, with specific instructions to cease activity, and or in certain cases, may include asking the offending party to leave the conference. SSR will not permit or condone any acts of retaliation against those who have filed or corroborated a reported offense, such actions will dictate the offending party be dismissed from the conference immediately.
In addition or as an alternative to contacting the SSR staff and Executive Council, anyone with questions or complaints related to harassment are encouraged to visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) website here, Filing a Civil Rights Complaint. Filing a complaint with the conference organizer is not required before filing a complaint of discrimination with HHS OCR, and seeking assistance from the conference organizer in no way prohibits filing complaints with HHS OCR.