PRINCETON COUNTRY DANCERS POLICY

ON DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS OF INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR

Background and Scope

      Princeton Country Dancers (PCD) is concerned for the safety and comfort of the people who attend the events it sponsors. PCD needs the cooperation of all attendees to help us keep our events free from unwanted physical contact, unsolicited intimate advances, unsafe actions, and other inappropriate behavior, on and off the dance floor.

Responsibility of Dancer with a Concern/Complaint

      If another dancer is doing something that hurts or makes you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, don’t hesitate to let him/her know. If the inappropriate behavior continues, or if you do not feel comfortable confronting the person, report the matter to any Executive Committee member, the dance or event manager, or the caller.

Responsibility of the PCD Executive Committee

      When instances of alleged inappropriate behavior come to the attention of the Executive Committee, either through a complaint from a dancer or through observations by others attending a PCD event, the Executive Committee shall follow the following procedures:

  1. At least 2 representatives of PCD (consisting of Executive Committee members or the caller or the dance manager who were present at the PCD event where the incident occurred) will speak to the accused individual to get his or her side of the story. The PCD representatives will explain PCD’s “Policy on Dealing with Complaints of Inappropriate Behavior” and give the individual a copy of the policy, along with a copy of “Helpful Hints and Etiquette for Contra Dancers.” At this time, the PCD representatives should also collect contact information from both the accused individual and the person making the complaint (or those who observed the incident), including full names, phone numbers, email and postal addresses.
  1. If it is reasonably clear to the PCD representatives that there has not been an instance of inappropriate behavior, then the matter is ended (though a record of the incident will be preserved, as described in 3 below). In such cases, the person(s) raising the complaint will be notified of the decision and told the reason(s) for the decision. If it is reasonably clear to the PCD representatives that there has been an instance of inappropriate behavior, then, depending on the severity of the incident, the individual will receive either a verbal or written warning that future instances of inappropriate behavior may result in being banned from PCD events, either for a specific period of time or permanently. A record of such decisions will be preserved, as described in 3 below.
  1. Participating PCD representatives will make a detailed written record of the conversations with the complaining dancer (or with those who observed the incident) and with the accused individual. This record will be submitted to all of the members of the Executive Committee. Any other written statements, either from the complaining dancer or from those who observed the incident, should also be submitted to the Executive Committee. Any or all of these written records may be submitted as email messages to the Executive Committee.
  1. If a second instance of inappropriate behavior by the same individual occurs, the procedures described in 1, 2, and 3 above should again be followed. The accused individual will then ordinarily be sent a written warning that another instance of inappropriate behavior may result in being banned from PCD events, either for a specific period of time or permanently.
  1. If it is necessary for the Executive Committee to conduct an investigation of an incident, the accused individual may be required to refrain from attending PCD events for a reasonable amount of time while the investigation is conducted.
  1. If an individual is banned from PCD events, either for a specific period of time or permanently, the individual has the right to appeal the decision to the Executive Committee.  If an individual is banned for a specific period of time, he/she will ordinarily have 30 days to appeal the ban. If an individual is banned permanently, the time for appeal will ordinarily be 60 days. All bans will be issued in writing and delivered by certified mail.
  1. If an individual is banned from PCD events for a specific period of time, the Executive Committee may make the individual’s return to PCD contingent upon signing a statement saying that he/she understands PCD’s “Policy on Dealing with Complaints of Inappropriate Behavior” and “Helpful Hints and Etiquette for Contra Dancers.” This document may also state that the accused dancer may be permanently banned from PCD events if he/she engages in further inappropriate behavior. The PCD Executive Committee may also require additional dance training and discussion to help the accused individual better understand the difference between inappropriate and appropriate behavior on or off the dance floor.
  1. All written records will be archived and accessible to future Executive Committee members. The Executive Committee will take reasonable care to ensure the confidentiality of all of the conversations and records; however, due to the involvement of many people and the need to have some conversations at open dances, PCD cannot guarantee full confidentiality.

NOTE: This policy is not intended to cover extreme cases (threats or acts of violence). In such cases, an offender may be told to leave immediately and never return to a PCD event. The authorities may also need to be notified.

September 2006