Over the last year, there have been a few incidents where club members received or observed interactions between members that made them uncomfortable. Incidents included an interchange at one of our meetings, comments made during some of the workshop presentations, and some contentious interactions on Facebook. This prompted the board to have discussions about the need for the club to send a clear message that it intends to be inclusive and welcoming to all members, including new members that are participating for the first time.
As a result, the board has adopted a code of conduct for its members. In many ways, it states what should be obvious. Details here:
Code of Conduct — Raleigh Aquarium Society
Credit is due to Potomac Valley Aquarium Society, whose policy we largely adopted as is.
Thomas Narten
RAS President