Procedures for Responding to Harassment and/or Safety Issues

Adopted July 11, 2016

The following defines procedures for response should BASFA members step forward with accusations against any attendees in cases that involve harassment, sexual or otherwise, and/or a threat to safety that will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Hereafter, “member” shall be defined as any individual who has paid BASFA membership dues. Any visiting individuals may appoint a member to assist them in presenting grievances.

(1) Members should contact a BASFA club officer if they feel other members have enacted harassment, sexual or otherwise, and/or have threatened the safety of BASFA members or attendees. The officer contacted will then will pursue the following:

(a) Notify any members alleged to have committed said offense or offenses.

(b) Upon notification, Accused members may appoint individuals from among members of BASFA to act as defense. Chosen advocates then will attend meetings, regular or otherwise, which involve the specific accusations currently in question. If at any time a defense advocate chooses not to or cannot perform his or her duties, the accused will have two weeks to find a substitute or to continue in his or her own defense.

(d) Have accused members agreed to apologize and stop behaviors that constitute harassment and/or that threaten the safety of BASFA members?

(e) Is the infraction or infractions serious enough to ask accused members to resign from BASFA?

(f) If the officer determines that accused members’ actions constitute harassment, sexual or otherwise, and/or a threat to safety, and if no resolution has been met at this step, he or she will ask the BASFA president to convene a committee of the whole during a regular BASFA meeting.

(2) This committee of the whole will hear the club officer’s recommendation and vote to determine if the incident or incidences merit further investigation by a committee of three members charged with the following actions:

(a) The president will chair this committee. He or she will appoint a second member, and then that second member will appoint a third.

(b) If at any time and for any reason the president is unable or chooses not to perform duties as chair of this committee, the vice-president will preside. The succession then proceeds as follows: treasurer, secretary, and finally if no officer can lead this investigative committee then regular members may volunteer for the position. If more than one member volunteers, a vote will be taken to determine the winner. If only one volunteers, a vote will be taken to ratify the appointment.

(d) Based on this investigation, this committee will determine whether or not matters should progress to trial as described below under Section 4.

(e) This committee will report its findings to the organization with recommendations for action, whether moving on to the proceedings described under Section 4 or any other, for approval or disapproval.

(3) The investigative committee may recommend and members may approve by vote that the case move to trial during which arguments for and against accused members will be heard, and the outcome of which will be voted on over two consecutive regular BASFA meetings:

(a) The chair of the investigative committee will act as prosecution.

(b) The presiding officer of the organization will act as moderator.

(c) The format of the trial will follow Robert’s Rules of Order Online, “Article XIII. Legal Rights of Assemblies and Trial of Their Members.” http://www.rulesonline.com/rror-13.htm

(d) The trial will continue until both the prosecution and defense have presented their arguments.

Outcomes may include but are not limited to:

(a) The accused member is acquitted by majority vote over these two consecutive meetings.

(b) The accused member must publically apologize to aggrieved parties, agreeing to stop behaviors in question as determined by majority vote over these two meetings.

(4) The final votes on cases involving harassment, sexual and otherwise, and/or threats to the safety of BASFA members will be yea or nay votes with no discussion.

(5) The minutes will reflect only the outcomes of such trials, not the specifics.

(6) The quorum in cases involving accused members will be based on the mean attendance of the twenty consecutive, regular BASFA meetings immediately prior to the date of the first meeting in which the harassment and/or safety issue comes up for deliberation.

(7) Non-member attendees of BASFA meetings and events who are accused of harassment and/or threatening the safety of others do not retain rights to defense advocates, investigative committees of three, or trial processes. Instead, the BASFA officer to whom particular incidents have been reported will mediate between involved parties. If during mediation that officer determines harassment and/or a safety violation has happened, outcomes may include but are not limited to the following:

(a) Accused non-members apologize and agree to stop doing offensive actions, if acceptable to accusing individuals and the mediating officer.

(b) The mediating officer may request that accused non-members volunteer to not seek BASFA memberships and to no longer attend BASFA meetings and events, noting that he or she plans to recommend a vote as described under (d) below.

(c) The mediating officer may report to members during a regular BASFA meeting to outline outcomes if (a) or (b) has occurred, or to offer his or her suggestions for resolution that require ratification through a yea-or-nay vote.

(d) The mediating officer may report to members during a regular BASFA meeting and request a yea-or-nay vote to determine if accused non-members should be permanently barred from BASFA memberships, meetings, and events.

(e) If (c) and (d) should occur, a minimum of fifteen members must be present for the vote to be valid.

(f) The minutes will reflect only the outcomes of such proceedings, not the specifics.

Adopted July 11, 2016