Code of Conduct

Fuse is dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive, and harassment-free experience for everyone.

We strive to create a community grounded in equality, respect, and mutual support, and we do not tolerate harassment of our community members in any form.

It is our collective responsibility to ensure that each member of this community feels welcomed and respected. Harassment, discrimination, violence and bigotry create feelings of fear, uneasiness, humiliation and discomfort. Even if our actions are not intentionally hurtful, what we say and do can hurt others or make them feel uncomfortable.

This code of conduct applies to all Fuse online and material spaces, all Fuse events, and in any communication with Fuse members, both online and off. Anyone who violates this code of conduct may be sanctioned or expelled from these spaces without a refund at the discretion of Fuse moderators.

Expected Behavior.

  • Treat everyone with respect and consideration. Be respectful and mindful in your critique of ideas and opinions. Cut one another some slack. Not everyone comes from the same shared knowledge base or social framework.
  • Look for opportunities to learn from, uplift and affirm each other. Ask questions and share insights and ideas.
  • Make space for others in your conversations. If you notice people dominating a discussion, ask for feedback from quieter members.
  • Consider the difference between intent and impact. If someone tells you that the impact of your behavior has been hurtful, take responsibility for that impact, even if your intentions were positive.
  • Be an ally to your fellow community members, and alert Fuse moderators if you notice someone being harassed or otherwise treated disrespectfully.

What is harassment?

  • Even if our actions are not intentionally hurtful, what we say and do can hurt others or make them feel uncomfortable. Here are some examples of harassing behaviors:
  • Unwelcome sexual attention.
  • Physical contact and simulated physical contact (eg. textual descriptions like "*hug*") without consent or after a request to stop.
  • Continued one-on-one communication after a request to stop.
  • Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, age, race, or religion.
    • Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behavior in spaces where they're not appropriate.
    • Deliberate "outing" of any aspect of a person's identity without their consent except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from intentional abuse.
    • Publication of non-harassing private communication.
    • Harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes.
    • Threats of violence, or incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm.
    • Any verbal, written, or physical conduct designed to threaten, intimidate, or coerce another community member.

Reporting.

If you are being harassed by a Fuse member or event attendee, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please report all Code of Conduct violations by contacting Fuse moderators at conduct@fusespc.com.

Reports will be handled by Fuse moderators.

If the person who is harassing you is a moderator, they will excuse themselves from handling your incident. In this situation, you may also reach out directly to a staff member or board member instead of submitting a report via email, or have a friend submit your report. Otherwise, please do not reach out via private email addresses, chat DMs, or social media accounts for reporting harassment.

We will respond as promptly as we can.

Reporting should not be done via social media or public discussion or via Fuse chat.

This code of conduct applies to Fuse's online and material spaces, but if you are being harassed by a member of the community outside our spaces, we still want to know about it. We will take all good-faith reports of harassment by Fuse members, especially Fuse moderators, seriously. This includes harassment outside our spaces and harassment that took place at any point in time. The abuse team reserves the right to exclude people from Fuse based on their past behavior, including behavior outside Fuse online and material spaces and behavior towards people who are not Fuse members.

Confidentiality.

We will respect confidentiality requests for the purpose of protecting victims of abuse. At our discretion, we may publicly name a person about whom we've received harassment complaints, or privately warn third parties about them, if we believe that doing so will increase the safety of Fuse members or the general public. We will not name harassment victims without their affirmative consent.

Consequences.

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.
If a participant engages in harassing behavior, Fuse moderators may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from all online and material Fuse spaces with no refund, and identification of the participant as a harasser to other Fuse members or the general public.

COVID-19  INFORMATION

Fuse is a community and business accelerator that values the health and safety of our staff, members, and visitors. Please refer to CDC guidelines for Covid19 information.