New England Historical Association, Inc. – Code of Professional Conduct

The New England Historical Association, Inc. (NEHA) is committed to being a welcoming and inclusive place. NEHA expects members and participants to abide by norms of professional conduct that are necessary to promote our mission, which is to serve the interests of historians in New England and elsewhere by providing them with a forum in which to present the fruits of their research and maintain connections with the historical enterprise in its larger regional and national dimensions.

Consequently, NEHA seeks to maintain a harassment-free environment for all members and participants, regardless of their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, socio-economic class, or veteran status. This Code of Professional Conduct seeks to ensure standards of professionalism at all times and is in effect at all NEHA events.

Examples of Unacceptable Behavior include:

• Intimidating, abusive, or derogatory speech or actions directed at an individual or group of individuals.
• Use of racial, gendered, homophobic, transphobic, ethnic, ableist, classist, or religious slurs.
• Persistent and unwelcome solicitation of emotional or physical intimacy, especially solicitations accompanied by real or implied threat of professional harm.
• Harassing photography or recording without permission.
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following.
• Intentionally misgendering someone.
• Making threats, whether physical or otherwise.
• Bullying, humiliation, or disparagement of members or participants that go beyond a reasonable critique of scholarship and are designed to humiliate publicly or privately an individual or malign their character or disparage their academic standing.
• Sustained disruption of presentation or other events.
• Retaliation for bringing incidents of discrimination, harassment, or bullying to the attention of NEHA’s leadership.

Discrimination and harassment undermine our core values, as an organization committed to the dignity of every person in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Please report any concerns to the NEHA Board of Directors.

If a violation is proven following investigation, the New England Historical Association, Inc. may follow the procedure in its by-laws to suspend or permanently ban from NEHA activities anyone found to have violated the Association’s Code of Professional Conduct.

Adopted 2022