At Knight Hacks everyone has the right to feel safe and welcome. It is one of our primary goals at Knight Hacks to always create an inclusive environment. The bedrock of an inclusive environment is respect. All organization members and attendees at Knight Hacks events are required to behave in a way which is respectful to other members and attendees, the venue, the organization, and the University of Central Florida.
Everyone involved in a Knight Hacks event must adhere to the code of conduct. This includes, but is not limited to, the executive board, directors, sponsors, judges, mentors, volunteers, organizers, members, and attendees at Knight Hacks events. The code of conduct refers to these people collectively as “attendees” and "members." The code of conduct applies to all Knight Hacks events, including, but not limited to, workshops, meetings, hackathons, and social events. In addition, the code of conduct applies to social media interactions related to the organization, virtual spaces, and transportation provided by the organization.
Attendees of Knight Hacks events will be required to treat any provided hardware, furniture, or venue with respect. For example, please do not leave trash behind after workshops. Attendees are expected to treat venue staff with courtesy and respect.
At Knight Hacks, any form of harassment will not be tolerated. Here is a definition from Major League Hacking on what constitutes harassment:
"Harassment includes but is not limited to offensive verbal or written comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, social class, economic status, veteran status, sexual images, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. If what you’re doing is making someone feel uncomfortable, that counts as harassment and is enough reason to stop doing it."
At Knight Hacks, any form of sexualization will not be tolerated. Here is a definition from Major League Hacking on what constitutes sexualization:
"Attendees should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material both in their hacks and during the event. Booth staff (including volunteers) should not use sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes, or otherwise create a sexualized environment."
Everyone involved in a Knight Hacks meeting, workshop, hackathon, social media interaction, transportation, or event is prohibited from harassing or sexualized behavior. An individual must cease behaving in a way which makes someone else uncomfortable immediately when asked. If an individual behaves in a harassing or sexualized manner, the executive board will take action against the individual in a way which is deemed appropriate by the executive board, including warning the individual, expulsion from the event, and a prohibition from engaging further with the Knight Hacks community. The executive board may escalate issues involving UCF students to the University of Central Florida Office of Student Conduct. A person who is expelled from an event or the Knight Hacks community is not eligible for reimbursement or refund of any type, such as travel reimbursement or membership dues.
If you are experiencing harassment or sexualization, or see it at any Knight Hacks event, please report it by following the reporting procedure below.
Knight Hacks has an extensive online presence, including virtual meetings and a Discord server. All of the principles in this Code of Conduct apply to these virtual spaces.
Please keep in mind the public nature of these online spaces, which means members' posts and behavior here are potentially visible to UCF faculty members and teaching assistants. It is your responsibility to act in accordance to your class's code of conduct. Cheating by sharing assignments, code, homework answers, quizzes, etc, will not be tolerated.
Bullying, trolling, sexism, racism, discrimination, harassment, threats or incitement of violence, intimidation, continued one-on-one contact after requests to stop, and NSFW content are not tolerated in these spaces.
Attendees are required to abide by the UCF Student Rules of Conduct and the UCF Golden Rule.
If the Knight Hacks event is an MLH member event (for instance, the hackathon), attendees are also required to abide by the MLH Code of Conduct.
If you have any questions regarding the code of conduct, please email team@knighthacks.org.
If you or someone else feels uncomfortable at a Knight Hacks event as a result of a potential violation of the Knight Hacks code of conduct, please report it. All reporters have the right to remain anonymous and will be treated with respect. You can report a code of conduct violation to any Knight Hacks director, organizer, or board member.
You are always welcome to call, text, or email one of the following Knight Hacks representatives below to report an incident. For an urgent issue, please call one of the numbers below directly.
- Harold Padilla, President (407) 508-5163
- Robert Boyd, VP (614) 392-8878 robert@knighthacks.org
- Aileen Pongnon, Secretary (254) - 833 - 0520 aileen@knighthacks.org
- Victoria Williamson, Lead Hackathon Organizer (336) 210 - 0225 victoriawilliamson@knighthacks.org
In addition to enforcing the code of conduct, the Knight Hacks executive board and directors are happy to help someone experiencing harassment or sexualized behavior to feel more comfortable at an event, such as by assisting in contacting the UCF Police Department, providing a private space, or providing an escort.