Bylaws Amendment Proposed 2014-04-15

Proposed bylaw amendment incorporating new anti-harassment policy, submitted by Brad Luyster on April 14, 2014, for vote on April 21, 2014:

LVL1 Anti-Harassment Policy

To be added between Sections 3 and 4 of our existing Bylaws:

LVL1 Harassment Policy

LVL1 is a place for persons of all backgrounds to make amazing things. Therefore, LVL1 is dedicated to being a harassment-free hackerspace for everyone. LVL1 establishes the following policy to ensure a harassment-free atmosphere.

Harassment Definition

The LVL1 community will not tolerate any harassment, verbal or physical, on the basis of race, color, religion, gender-identity, sexual orientation, nationality, age, disability, physical appearance, parental status, political beliefs or any other distinction that creates discomfort for an individual. The LVL1 community will not tolerate any harassing behaviors including, but not limited to, unwelcome sexual attention, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, harassing photography or recording or inappropriate physical contact.

Community Guidelines

LVL1 presents the following guidelines to prevent harassment.

1. Ask before touching another person or entering their personal space. Interpret the absence of a clear “Yes” as a “No” and abide by it.
2. When community members and guests express a limit to the amount and type of socializing they wish to engage in, abide by that limit.
3. You are encouraged to express any socializing limits you may have.
4. When you question whether a joke, question, statement, or other communication would be considered inappropriate, do not proceed to communicate.
5. When you are asked to stop any harassing behavior, comply immediately.
6. Always strive to be excellent to your fellow hackers.

Violation of this Policy

All persons asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. LVL1 encourages persons involved to discuss transgressions of this policy in a mature manner prior to reporting an offense to the Board of Directors. If the harassment continues or the transgression is severe, LVL1 encourages the community to report the behavior to any member of the Board of Directors. The Directors are committed to take all claims of harassment seriously and to treat all concerns with the strictest confidentiality.

When a violation of this policy is reported to a member of the board of directors, the board will open an investigation. The board will seek all necessary information from all persons involved, evaluate the information, and develop a plan of recourse within the Board’s powers.

The Board of Directors is empowered to take the following actions against persons in violation of this policy:

1. A warning
2. A temporary ban from the premises for a to-be-determined duration of time approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
3. A permanent ban from the premises approved by a unanimous vote by the Board of Directors.

The Board may skip to more serious consequences at its discretion. A warning will only be given once.

The Secretary will keep a record of all allegations, information gathered, and penalties assessed. This record will only be accessible by the Board of Directors.

Further amendments

Further amendments to the bylaws for self-consistency in the anti-harassment policy:

Add to Member Responsibilities:

“A member must abide by the LVL1 Harassment Policy.”

Modify in Suspension of Membership:

1. Membership may be suspended for non-payment of dues or in consequence of violating the anti-harassment policy, as determined by the Board of Directors.

Add to Termination of Membership, Section 1:

5. on being banned permanently, per the LVL1 Harassment Policy.