Dear WFA Members,
The WFA is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and productive setting for scientific exchange among all participants at the Annual Conference. To affirm this commitment, the Board of the WFA has developed the attached conference code of conduct that will be communicated to all prospective and future WFA conference attendees. The code of conduct briefly spells out the expectations for all meeting participants, emphasizes that neither harassment nor discrimination will be tolerated, and details whom to contact in the event that there are violations of this code. There will be a link to the conference code of conduct on the WFA web-site, and it will be printed in the brochures of WFA conference programs as a reminder.
Ingrid Werner,
WFA President, 2018-2019
Western Finance Association (WFA) Conference Code of Conduct
The WFA seeks to provide a safe, inclusive and productive meeting environment that fosters the exchange of scientific ideas, provides equal opportunities and treatment for all participants, and is free from discrimination and harassment.
While free and open discussion and debate are essential elements of scholarly interaction, paper presenters, discussants, session chairs, and other conference participants are expected to abide by norms of professional conduct and to follow venue rules. All participants are also expected to abide by standards of scientific integrity in their work product, and to present results that are accurate to the best of their knowledge. Any sources of funding or financial interests or other ties that might be viewed as creating conflicts of interest should be disclosed on the paper’s title page and on the presenter and discussant slides with a brief one or two sentence disclaimer.
The WFA does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or retaliation in any of its activities. Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of individuals on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability status, or any other attribute. Harassment includes speech or any behavior, such as but not limited to, remarks, both spoken and in other media, bullying, physical contact, stalking, sexual advances or requests for sexual favors, and unwelcome advances. Please remember that behavior that is acceptable to one person may not be acceptable to another, and that harassment, even if intended or conveyed in a joking manner, is unacceptable.
Anyone who experiences or witnesses a violation of standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity, or who experiences or witnesses discrimination or harassment, should report this behavior to the WFA Program Chair, WFA President, or the WFA Treasurer-Secretary.
Individuals violating this policy, or making allegations in bad faith, may be subject to disciplinary action. Reported cases and allegations will be adjudicated promptly by the WFA Board of Directors. The Board can choose to act or to delegate authority to a designated committee or to the WFA Executive Committee. The Board reserves the right to take actions including, but not limited to, removing an individual from a meeting without warning, prohibiting an individual from attending future WFA meetings, terminating an individual’s affiliation with the WFA, and notifying an individual’s employer. Retaliation against any person who files a complaint in good faith, or assists in the investigation of such a complaint, is also a violation of this policy and may be subject to disciplinary action.
Please direct comments or concerns regarding this policy to the WFA Treasurer-Secretary Bryan Routledge [routledge@cmu.edu]
Adopted February, 2019