The Classical Association, The Classical Association of Scotland and the University of St Andrews welcome and support people interested in the classical world from all backgrounds and we embrace diversity in all its forms.
At the 2025 CA Conference, we aim to create an environment in which all attendees may participate equally, and learn, network, and converse with colleagues in an environment of mutual respect whether they attend in-person or virtually.
Upon registration for the Conference, all attendees, speakers and organisers accept that they are required to conform to the following Code of Conduct during all conference-related activities, in-person and/or online, including social events such as the Conference Dinner and evening receptions.
Code of conduct
Everyone who attends the conference is entitled to an experience that is free from harassment, bullying, and intimidation. This includes but is not limited to sexual harassment and misconduct, including unwelcome physical or verbal advances or contact of a sexual nature. Harassment also includes, but is not limited to, stalking and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, religion, race, ethnicity or other protected characteristics.
No attendee should, under any circumstance, engage in harassing, bullying, or intimidating behaviour directed at any other attendee, in person or online. All attendees accept the obligation to uphold the rights of fellow attendees to be treated with respect. Participants are expected, both inside and outside formal academic sessions, to express themselves in ways that are considerate and respectful of others. Equally they are expected to respond with courtesy and respect to others’ opinions. These values are central to civilized academic debate. We hope that all delegates will be inclusive and collaborative.
We are confident that most participants are fully supportive of the principles embodied in this code, and that none will wish to be passive bystanders while abuse or bullying or harassment takes place. We call on all participants to actively support those subjected to unacceptable behaviour, to challenge those guilty of it, and to support session chairs and the conference organizers in their efforts to make this conference a positive, rewarding and enjoyable experience for all.
Reporting harassment
If an attendee experiences harassment which makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe (including any of the behaviours listed above, widely inclusive), that person is encouraged to make a report in writing and/or to speak in person to:
- The Classical Association’s Chair of Council, Judith Mossman: [email protected]
- Head of the School of Classics, University of St Andrews, Roger Rees: [email protected]
Useful information to provide in such a report includes:
- Identifying information (e.g. the name of the participant)
- The behaviour that was in violation of the Code of Conduct
- The approximate time of the incident
- The circumstances surrounding the incident
- Other people involved
All written and verbal reports will remain confidential. All reports of inappropriate and harassing behaviour will be looked into, and where appropriate further action will be taken.
Further action may include speaking to the person about whom the complaint has been made, asking them to refrain from further contact with the affected attendee, or contacting the police; this will be done in conjunction with the affected attendee(s).
Participants asked to desist from behaviour that others deem to be inappropriate are expected to comply immediately.
Online platforms
The 2025 CA Conference will be a hybrid event; online access will be enabled for many participants. To ensure that the virtual world is a safe space for attendees and presenters, there are some additional rules we ask that you comply with.
We request that you do not share any links to online events that you receive and that you do not disrupt a virtual meeting (e.g. “teams-bombing”) or contribute to an unsafe or exclusionary situation of any kind. Please do not make or distribute audio or visual recordings of any online events in any medium — only Conference organisers may do so, after participants have been given the opportunity to opt out.
Please do not take or distribute pictures of or copy research posters/presentation materials unless explicit permission is granted. Participants should not copy or take screen shots of the Q&A or any chat room activity that takes place in the virtual space.
Use of social media
The Classical Association uses social media as a useful channel for conference communication. Ideally, this encourages and perpetuates the intellectual exchange inspired by keynotes, guest speakers and conference delegates. It complements virtual attendance at Classical Association events and helps resolve the dilemma of wanting to attend more than one panel at the same time where panels are held contemporaneously.
In order to ensure that conference social media use is a positive and affirmative experience both for users, and for non-users who are quoted and referenced, throughout a Classical Association event, we request that social media users adhere to the following guidelines.
- Think before you write. Use common sense and courtesy when posting. Remember, we are a community of professionals and we should conduct ourselves professionally.
- Be generous with compliments and feel free to share interesting links to projects and materials, highlighting colleagues’ research in a positive way. The tone of posts should always be polite and respectful, as if you were speaking to the presenter directly.
- Questions, comments and constructive feedback should be made on social media in a courteous manner. When quoting or citing others’ work, we ask users of social media to uphold our scholarly values of intellectual collegiality and accuracy, and to respect context at all times with a view to avoiding misrepresentation and appropriation.
- Seek permission before sharing unpublished research. Respect the presenter’s wishes. If a presenter says they would not like their paper to be shared, then this should be adhered to. If a presenter is comfortable with sharing of comments but asks you to refrain from sharing images of their slides, please adhere to this too. We ask that Panel Chairs check presenters’ wishes and inform the audience of them at the beginning of a panel.
- If a presenter has a social media handle, mention it in the first of your posts from the panel. Use the presenter’s initials or surname in subsequent posts, and if using X/Threads/Bluesky, thread your posts if possible. Also include the conference hashtag so others may find tweets/posts relating to the conference and their work quickly. In some cases, it may be sensible to include any panel hashtag as well. When quoting directly, always include the name of the presenter or their handle.
- Questions and comments should always relate to the presenter’s research and ideas only – not to their person or their mode of presentation. The strength of our community comes from its diversity.
These guidelines reflect our common understanding and goal of a collaborative, shared environment. We expect them to be followed in spirit as much as in the letter. In the case of inappropriate social media use, please inform a member of the conference team and please do not engage with social media posts that may be in breach of these guidelines.
Use of photography
An official photographer will be taking photographs throughout the Conference, including during some panel sessions and social events. If you do not wish to be photographed please let us know via [email protected] or when you arrive at the Conference. There will be non-photography badges available.
We kindly ask that everyone is mindful of fellow attendees wearing a non-photography badge and we ask that if you would like to take a photo or video please ask your fellow attendee(s) for their permission.