ISAC Member Code of Conduct and Ethical Principles

(ISAC Policies & Procedures Manual, Appendix 1.1)

Date of Council adoption: October 31, 2022

Article II of ISAC's Constitution states: The Society is an international scientific and educational organization whose purpose is to promote: Development of cytometry; transfer of methodologies; and exchange of scientific and technical information. ISAC's mission is to serve a multidisciplinary community by leading technological innovation, scholarship, and the exchange of knowledge in the quantitative cell sciences.

With this role comes a responsibility for ISAC members to commit to ethical standards that support the goal of continuously improving the Society for the benefit of all. ISAC's Member Code of Conduct establishes guidelines for behavior of all individuals involved in Society activities, in order to foster an environment that is courteous, collegial, collaborative, and respectful, with the primary goal of advancing Cytometry being at the center of all operations.

Society Commitments
This Member Code of Conduct sets forth the commitments of ISAC and behavior expected of all members of ISAC participating in any Society activities or volunteer role. It applies to all members, irrespective of their membership type, the role they fulfill, or the jurisdiction in which they live or work. Any changes to it must be reviewed in light of their consistency with and impact, intended or unintended, on the ISAC Staff Code of Conduct.

ISAC Member Code of Conduct
As an ISAC Member, I will:

• Abide by the ISAC Constitution and Bylaws;
• Uphold the reputation and good standing of ISAC;
• Act with integrity and respect toward others;
• Act, support, respect, and abide by ISAC’s commitments as well as appropriate laws that apply to personal conduct;
• Act in the general interest of ISAC and not use my position to unfairly benefit myself, my employer, or others;
• Promptly pay membership fees as part of continued membership and keep my information updated;
• Abide by ISAC's Conflict of Interest Policy in all Society activities.
• Not make any statement on behalf of ISAC or purport to represent ISAC through any public medium, including digital social media, unless authorized to do so by ISAC;
• Reject and not make any offer of bribery or unethical inducement in connection with involvement in ISAC;
• Conduct all business with ISAC, including in my interactions with other ISAC members, staff, and partners with professionalism and respect; 

Application for membership indicates that the applicant accepts and will abide by this ISAC Member Code of Conduct as published.

Should a member fail to meet the conditions in this Code of Conduct, ISAC may, at its sole discretion, decide on the appropriate action to take. ISAC reserves the right to revoke membership that has been granted, in the event that a member violates the Membership Code of Conduct. The revocation proceedings are conducted as specified in Article VIII of ISAC's Bylaws and described under Enforcement, and provide protection of the rights of any individual who may be subject to revocation of membership.

Enforcement:
Adherence to this Code is a requirement of ISAC membership.  A complaint alleging material Member Code of Conduct violations may be submitted in writing to the ISAC Executive Director. Oral and anonymous complaints will not be accepted, nor will complaints lacking sufficient detail and substantiation. Upon receipt of a proper complaint, the Executive Director will notify the President and the Chair of the Governance Committee, who will convene an Ethics Taskforce. This Taskforce will be chaired by a Past President and consist of at least three ISAC members with no conflict of interest. Members who are the subject of a complaint will be accorded adequate due process, as determined by ISAC, including notice of charges and an opportunity to respond.

The Ethics Taskforce will determine whether a violation occurred and, if so, recommend an appropriate sanction, up to and including suspension or termination of membership, for review by Council. Ethics Taskforce recommendations imposing a sanction may be appealed by the accused member to Council, whose decision shall be final.

Full cooperation with this enforcement procedure by members accused of Code violations is an obligation of membership. This procedure is not a proper means for resolving commercial or legal disputes.

Ethical Principles
ISAC’s Code of Conduct embodies ethical standards for its members, Council, Committees, and volunteers. While adherence to the aspirational ethical standards is not easily measured, conducting themselves in accordance with these ethical standards is an expectation that members have of themselves as professionals. Among the aspirational ethical concepts which this Membership Code of Conduct embraces are those of respect, responsibility, fairness, and honesty.

• Respect:Respect is a behavior that demonstrates a high regard for oneself, others, and the resources entrusted to them. Individuals, money, reputation, the safety of others, and natural or environmental resources are all examples of such resources. By fostering mutual cooperation, a respectful environment fosters trust, confidence, and performance excellence — an environment in which diverse perspectives and viewpoints are encouraged and valued.
• Responsibility: Responsibility is taking ownership for the decisions one makes or fails to make, the actions one takes or fails to take, and the consequences that result.
• Fairness: Fairness is making decisions and acting impartially and objectively. A member’s conduct must be free from competing self-interest, prejudice, and favoritism.
• Honesty: Honesty is understanding the truth and acting in a truthful manner, both in one’s communications and in one’s conduct.

A Respectful Environment
ISAC is committed to maintaining an environment that encourages mutual respect, promotes courteous and congenial relationships among staff and Society members and is free from all forms of harassment and violence.

All ISAC employees and volunteers should interact with mutual respect and common courtesy in their daily work and in meetings. Inappropriate behavior (including but not limited to bullying, yelling, profanity) will not be tolerated. Volunteers are expected to take guidance from the President and Executive Committee. The President and Executive Director will work together to ensure harmonization between the activity of the employees and that of volunteers.

Unacceptable behavior towards any other individuals involved in Society activities can lead to removal as a volunteer or Society member (see Enforcement, above).

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
ISAC is committed to fostering and maintaining an environment where diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are fully integrated into everything we do as a Society. To fully realize our goal, we prioritize our understanding of the complexities of DEI to inform our approach working as a global Society. We believe that this guides how we do our work, operationalize DEI, and position our content and educational opportunities to help strengthen our commitment to this endeavor.

An Inclusive and Diverse Environment
As individuals we all have our own beliefs and opinions. Our commitment to DEI does not mean that we must agree on another individual's beliefs and opinions, nor does it mean that those who do not agree with cannot be part of our community. What our commitment does mean is that our differences drive our need to be inclusive, respectful of each other, and that we take seriously our professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities to listen to all views and honor each other’s right to be different.

• We believe that diversity is the presence and celebration of differences that enrich our Society, including – but not limited to - identity-focused characteristics, such as race, gender preference, sexual orientation, disability, age, cultural or educational background and/or geographical location.
• We believe that equity is the presence of and commitment to fair treatment, access and opportunity for all, where individuals are not at a disadvantage because of their identities.
• We believe that inclusion is how we demonstrate our commitment to diversity and equity and is at the center of our efforts to build an intentional culture that fosters feelings of belonging based on a variety of characteristics and honors the differences among our members, staff, volunteers, partners, and stake-holders.
• We believe inclusion ensures that individuals with different identities are valued and welcomed within our workplace.

Non-Harassment Policy / Non-Discrimination Policy
Consistent with its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, ISAC prohibits and will not tolerate harassment based on race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law. Each individual has the right to work and serve in a professional atmosphere that is free from discriminatory practices including, but not limited to, harassment. Violations of this policy will not be tolerated.

Discrimination includes but is not limited to making any Society related decision to exclude another individual on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, disability, national origin, marital or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Harassment is generally defined as unwelcome verbal or non-verbal (communicated through email, Microsoft Teams or other, including virtual) conduct, based upon a person’s protected characteristic, that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward the person because of the characteristic, and which has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a staff member’s work or a volunteer’s ability to serve in ISAC, or has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment. Harassing conduct includes but is not limited to epithets; slurs or negative stereotyping; threatening, intimidating or hostile acts; denigrating jokes and display or circulation among individuals of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group based on their protected characteristic.

• Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal, visual or physical conduct of a sexual nature, when:
• Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment or ability to serve in a volunteer capacity
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions or ability to serve in a volunteer capacity affecting such individual; or
• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or ability to serve in a volunteer capacity, or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

Examples of sexual harassment include: unwelcome or unsolicited sexual advances; displaying sexually suggestive material; unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances or propositions; suggestive comments; verbal abuse of a sexual nature; sexually oriented jokes; crude or vulgar language or gestures; graphic or verbal commentaries about an individual’s body; display or distribution of obscene materials; physical contact such as patting, pinching or brushing against someone’s body; or physical assault of a sexual nature.

Reporting:
Any individual who feels that they have been harassed or discriminated against or has witnessed or become aware of discrimination or harassment in violation of these policies, should bring the matter to the immediate attention of the Executive Director or President. The organization will promptly investigate all allegations of discrimination or harassment and take action as appropriate based on the outcome of the investigation. An investigation and its results will be treated as confidential to the extent feasible, and the organization will take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation.

No individual will be retaliated against for making a complaint in good faith regarding a violation of these policies, or for participating in good faith in an investigation pursuant to these policies. If an individual feels he/she has been retaliated against, they should file a complaint using the procedures set forth under Enforcement.