This document is a work in progress; feedback from all parties is welcome.
The CS 473 course staff are committed to providing an inclusive climate that encourages the open exchange of ideas, that is free from all forms of discrimination and harassment, that provides equitable opportunities for all students, and that is safe and welcoming to everyone—regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disabilities, religious or political beliefs, physical appearance, age, major, academic history, or class performance.
In short, we're all here to help each other learn cool shit about algorithms. Anything that gets in the way of that goal is unwelcome.
These expectations are consistent with the univerity's Nondiscrimination Policy and with the Siebel School's Values and Code of Conduct. If you have questions or concerns about any of these policies, we encourage you to discuss them with any of the instructors, with members of the CS CARES committee (yes, even if you are not a CS major), or with your department and college academic advisors.
If you experience or witness behvior that violates this code of conduct, we encourage you to reach out to any of the following people.
CS CARES has strict confidentiality policies and well-developed procedures to support them. Nothing you discuss with another member of CS CARES will be shared with Jeff (or vice versa) without your explicit consent. The other offices listed anove have similar confidentiality policies.
For more information about the university's diversity, equity, and inculsion efforts, please see the OVCDEI web site. In particular, this page contains links to report incidents of discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, or barriers to access. The instructors and CS CARES can also help you navigate these resources.
We are using both Ed Discussion and Discord for online communication. Please be professional and courteous on all these platforms, and (except in designated off-topic channels) please keep all online discussion relevant to the course. In our experience, almost all students in almost all classes meet these expectations, but even a small number of incidents can do serious damage to the learning environment that these platforms are meant to support.
Sexually explicit, harassing, threatening, bullying, trolling, racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, violent, or otherwise grossly unprofessional content on either platform—even as a “joke”—will be removed. Anyone posting such content will be blocked/banned from those platforms and reported to the Office for Student Conflict Resolution.
To encourage as much class participation as possible, we have configured some of our online platforms to allow anonymous or psuedonymous posts, and to allow enrollment by anyone. Again, our past experience suggests that almost all students behave professionally even when anonymous. However, should behavior on any online platform become problematic, we will restrict posts to registered students (and course staff) posting under their real names.
Of course, exactly the same expectation of professionalism extends to in-person interactions in lectures, office hours, study groups, and so on.
If you have experienced or think you have experienced sexual harassment or misconduct, help is available. What happened is not your fault. Where to go from here may seem unclear, but you have options. How you choose to handle what happened to you or receive help is your decision. There is no wrong way to take care of yourself. You can find a list of available campus resources and reporting options at the university's WE CARE web site.
You are also welcome to speak with any of the instructors, or with any member of the CS CARES committee, if you feel comfortable doing so. However, you should be aware that Illinois faculty and staff are legally required to report all instances of sexual misconduct to the University's Title IX Office. Confidential resources are also available, both on- and off-campus, if you prefer to discuss an incident without having it reported to the Title IX office. The instructor and the CS CARES committee are available to help connect you with those resources.
If you have been subject to an incident that is reported to the Title IX Office, someone with that office will contact you with information about your rights and options, including accommodations, support services, campus disciplinary process, and law enforcement options.