Hello! I am Shaowen Bardzell, Vice President at Large of the SIGCHI Executive Committee.
I am excited to introduce you to SIGCHI CARES.
First, let me walk you through the motivation behind SIGCHI CARES.
As our community grows, many of our members have felt
discriminated against or harassed at SIGCHI-sponsored events.
We have addressed these issues as they came up in the past
but not in a systematic manner.
The result is potentially harmful to the members and to SIGCHI itself.
SIGCHI CARES is a resource for those who experience discrimination and/or
harassment around our professional events. SIGCHI CARES supports such individuals by
allowing them to work with established members of the SIGCHI community, who are approachable
and willing to listen and help navigate the ACM reporting and accountability process.
Harassment and discrimination are difficult issues to eliminate altogether, but as a start,
we believe that a formally established committee consisting of familiar and respected members of
the community with a proven record and commitment to diversity and inclusion can inspire trust, and
those who experience harassment and discrimination would be more willing to come forward.
We want to support those who have had such experiences directly,
offering them an open and confidential conversation,
in hopes of: (a) creating better awareness of discriminatory dynamics; and (b) increasing the
accountability of conference organizers, event staff, and conference attendees.
SIGCHI CARES offers informal support and advice only.
It does not formally represent individuals who have experienced discrimination in any actions.
Individuals experiencing discrimination and harassment will still be responsible
for initiating formal complaints to the ACM, where it will be handled according to ACM’s policies.
The CARES committee may assist those who experience discrimination and/or harassment
during the reporting process, it may not serve as an intermediary in that official process,
and it cannot be formally involved in any aspect of the handling of the complaint by ACM.
For accountability, wherever possible we will have two CARES committee members present
for discussions with the reporting individual
who can choose whom from the CARES committee they want to be involved in the conversation.
The CARES goal is to have at least one committee member present at all SIGCHI-sponsored conferences
as well as the program committee meetings for those conferences. To support this goal,
committee members are expected to attend at least one SIGCHI sponsored event per year.
However, because SIGCHI sponsors 24 conferences, in-person participation
may not always be possible. In the event that no CARES committee members are available to
attend a given conference, the designated CARE member can train the conference representative
on ACM harassment and discrimination guidelines and reporting mechanisms.
And we are always available if you have any questions.
Since its inception in Jan 2020, SIGCHI CARES has handled a variety of different cases,
centering on harassment, discrimination,
reviewing (such as reviewer abuse), and professional misconduct (such as volunteering).
SIGCHI CARES currently has a total of 13 members,
and you can see their names and photos on this slide.
There is no upper bound on the number of CARES committee members. Committee members normally
are invited to serve for a 3-year term, with a maximum of 6 years, served consecutively.
In closing, I’d like to encourage you to visit the SIGCHI CARES website
and reach out if you have any questions.
Together, we can make SIGCHI events safe spaces for everyone.
Thank you.