With the increased importance of ethereal (online) events, and in acknowledgement of the increased stress that many of our Populace face, it’s important to remember that we’re all here to have fun, celebrate each other and our accomplishments, and most of all, geek out over history and The Dream.
It’s also important to note that while ethereal events bring us new opportunities, they also bring us new challenges.
Online Events
In a video conference event, like in Zoom or Teams, please treat the conversation as if everyone in the “room” is at the same table. That means:
- Remember to leave room for everyone in the discussion. A video conference only allows one person to speak at a time, so it’s easy to accidentally limit the participation of others. If you find yourself sharing a lot, try stepping back from the conversation for a short time to see what others have to contribute.
- Please mute when you’re not sharing. If you’re not muted then your background noise and personal conversations may be broadcast to the group, possibly disrupting other conversations. If a moderator notices noise coming from your microphone they might mute you. Feel free to unmute the next time you’d like to talk.
- Please have patience with technical difficulties. Glitches are inevitable, and making a big deal about a problem can stress out the people who are trying to fix the problem.
- Otherwise, follow the same etiquette you’d follow in person. The SCA Statement of Core Values, which also acts as our Society-wide Code of Conduct is listed below. In particular:
- During a class or presentation, please respect the speakers by holding your comments and questions until the speaker is ready.
- Please respect Court and other forms of Ceremony by staying on mute unless you are specifically called to participate. Commenting out of turn in court disrespects not just those holding court but also the Dream to which we aspire, and in some cases may result in being removed from the event.
SCA Statement of Core Values
Also available here: https://www.sca.org/sca-code-of-conduct-core-values/
In pursuing its mission, the SCA is committed to excellence in its programs, communications and activities, and to
- act in accordance with the chivalric virtues of honor and service;
- value and respect the worth and dignity of all individuals;
- practice inclusiveness and respect pluralism and diversity;
- promote a safe and respectful environment for all SCA events;
- act with transparency, fairness, integrity and honesty;
- be a responsible steward of SCA resources; and,
- be committed to maintaining the trust of its members and participants.
It is the expectation of the SCA that its members and participants, in all events and activities of the SCA, will conduct themselves in accordance with these tenets.
SCA Harassment and Bullying Policy
Also available here: http://socsen.sca.org/the-sca-harassment-and-bullying-policy/
The SCA prohibits harassment and bullying of all individuals and groups.
Harassment and bullying includes, but is not limited to the following:
- offensive or lewd verbal comments directed to an individual;
- the display of explicit images (drawn or photographic) depicting an individual in an inappropriate manner;
- photographing or recording individuals inappropriately to abuse or harass the individual;
- inappropriate physical contact; unwelcome sexual attention; or retaliation for reporting harassment and/or bullying.
Participants violating these rules are subject to appropriate sanctions. If an individual feels subjected to harassment, bullying or retaliation, they should contact a seneschal, President of the SCA, or the Kingdom’s Board Ombudsman. If a participant of the SCA becomes aware that someone is being harassed or bullied, they have a responsibility pursuant to the SCA Code of Conduct to come forward and report this behavior to a seneschal, President of the SCA or Kingdom’s Board Ombudsman.