Conference Anti-Harassment & Discrimination Policy

The Nursing Organizations Alliance (NOA) is dedicated to providing a harassment- and discrimination-free conference experience for everyone regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, race, age or religion. To ensure the best possible experience for all participants, we have established this anti-harassment and discrimination policy for participation. NOA does not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Our anti-discrimination policy can be found at: https://www.nursing-alliance.org/anti-discrimination-policy.  

This code of conduct applies to all virtual conference spaces, including all presentations, chats, individual messaging, and discussion forums. Defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference (without a refund) at the discretion of the conference organizers.

Harassment includes:

  • Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, age, race, veteran status or religion.
  • Deliberate mis-gendering or deliberate use of ‘dead’ or rejected names.
  • Gratuitous and/or off-topic sexual images or behavior in spaces where they’re not appropriate.
  • Simulated physical contact (e.g., textual descriptions like “*hug*” or “*backrub*”) without consent or after a request to stop.
  • Threats of or incitement of violence.
  • Deliberate intimidation.
  • Online “stalking” or excessive following.
  • Harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes.
  • Sustained disruption of discussion.
  • Unwelcome sexual attention.
  • Pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others.
  • Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease.

NOA reserves the right to terminate access to any participant who does not abide by these guidelines.

If you need to report an incident, please complete our anti-harassment and discrimination reporting form.

Enforcement of Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Policy
Prompt and appropriate action will be taken by NOA staff and/or leadership to politely and calmly interrupt or stop any presentation, event or incident that repeatedly or seriously violates the anti-harassment and discrimination policy.

Participants asked to stop any harassing or discriminatory behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If a participant engages in harassing or discriminatory behavior, event organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the conference (with no refund).

NOA staff and/or leadership may take action to redress anything designed to disrupt, or with the clear impact of disrupting, the event or making the environment hostile for any participant.

An attendee, vendor, sponsor, exhibitor, guest or staff member may be expelled by the decision of the NOA staff and/or leadership or any violation of the anti-harassment and discrimination policy. However, here are some general guidelines for when a participant should be expelled:

  • A [first/second/third] offense resulting in a warning from the NOA staff and/or leadership
  • Continuing to harass after any "No" or "Stop" instruction
  • A pattern of harassing behavior
  • A single serious offense 
  • A single obviously intentional offense