CIAC EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND 

COMMITTEE CONDUCT PROCEDURE

Secretariat Contact: Liam chelkowski (sg@ciaconline.org) and Jemma Hendricks (dg@ciaconline.org)

Cornell University Police Department (CUPD): 607-255-1111

Reporting Form

PURPOSE

The Cornell International Affairs Conference (CIAC) is committed to providing an environment in which all delegates, advisors, staff members, and guests can participate safely and meaningfully. Model United Nations involves debate about difficult political, historical, and humanitarian issues. Delegates may represent positions with which they personally disagree; however, acting in character does not excuse discriminatory, threatening, harassing, or otherwise harmful conduct.

This procedure establishes expectations for participant conduct, distinguishes legitimate debate from unacceptable behavior, provides ways to report concerns, and creates a consistent process for responding to poor committee behavior.

This policy applies during committee sessions, crisis activities, ceremonies, social events, online conference spaces, and all other CIAC-sponsored activities.

EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS

All CIAC participants are expected to:

  1. Treat other participants with dignity and respect.

  2. Critique ideas, policies, and actions rather than attacking individuals or identity groups.

  3. Follow instructions from the dais and Secretariat.

  4. Avoid intentionally disrupting another participant’s ability to speak or participate.

  5. Respect personal boundaries and accessibility accommodations.

  6. Use appropriate language in speeches, resolutions, directives, crisis notes, messages, and informal interactions.

  7. Report serious or repeated misconduct to a chair, advisor, or Secretariat member.

Disagreement, criticism, and discussion of sensitive subjects are permitted when they are relevant to the committee and expressed appropriately. Good-faith mistakes should generally be addressed through clarification and education. Repeated, targeted, intentional, or severe misconduct may warrant disciplinary action.

PROHIBITED CONDUCT

  1. Discrimination and Identity-Based Harassment

Derogatory, demeaning, or hostile conduct directed at a person or group based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or another protected or marginalized identity is prohibited.

  1. Threats or Encouragement of Identity-Based Violence

Participants may not threaten, celebrate, or encourage real-world violence against another participant or identity group. Historically or politically relevant discussion of violence is permitted, but delegates may not use their assigned positions to target or intimidate others.

  1. Sexual Harassment

Unwelcome sexual comments, gestures, advances, messages, contact, or attention are prohibited. This includes sexualized remarks about another participant’s appearance, identity, or body.

  1. Bullying and Personal Attacks

Repeated insults, intimidation, humiliation, unwanted targeting, or behavior intended to isolate, silence, or demean another participant are prohibited.

  1. Harmful Stereotypes and Dehumanizing Language

Participants may not use stereotypes, slurs, caricatures, accents, costumes, or dehumanizing comparisons to portray a country, culture, religion, or group of people.

  1. Trivialization of Human Suffering

Participants may not mock, celebrate, or gratuitously minimize genocide, slavery, war crimes, sexual violence, dictatorship, mass death, or other atrocities. Delegates may discuss these subjects when they are substantively relevant and handled with appropriate care.

  1. Deliberate Disruption 

Repeatedly interrupting others, refusing to follow parliamentary procedure, monopolizing debate, misusing points or motions, sending inappropriate crisis notes, or continuing disruptive behavior after being directed to stop is prohibited.

  1. Retaliation 

Participants may not punish, threaten, exclude, or intimidate someone because that person reported a concern, sought assistance, or participated in the review of an incident.

  1. Other Serious Misconduct

Conduct that creates a safety risk or substantially interferes with another participant’s ability to participate in the conference is prohibited.

Delegates are evaluated on their ability to represent a country or character responsibly, not on their willingness to reproduce every prejudice associated with that role. Being “in character” is not a defense for prohibited conduct. Delegates should:

  1. Describe discriminatory policies, where relevant, without directing discriminatory language at participants.

  2. Advocate policy positions without using slurs, stereotypes, or personal attacks.

  3. Avoid unnecessary or gratuitous graphic descriptions of violence.

  4. Keep crisis actions relevant to the committee.

  5. Ask the dais privately when uncertain whether an action or statement is appropriate.

  6. The dais may pause debate, request that language be rephrased, reject inappropriate written material, or consult the Secretariat before allowing sensitive content to proceed.

COMMITTEE CONDUCT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

Before debate begins, the chair should:

  1. Briefly review CIAC’s expectations for respectful debate.

  2. Explain how delegates can privately contact the dais.

  3. Identify the appropriate Secretariat contact.

  4. Remind delegates that character and country assignments do not excuse harmful conduct.

  5. Inform delegates that their conduct may affect award eligibility.

RESPONDING TO POOR COMMITTEE CONDUCT

Responses should account for the severity, intent, frequency, and effect of the behavior, as well as any previous interventions. Not every incident must begin with Step One. Chairs should refer severe conduct directly to the Secretariat.

Step 1: Immediate Redirection

Immediate redirection should be used for minor, isolated, or apparently unintentional behavior.

  1. Briefly interrupt or redirect the conduct.

  2. Identify the relevant expectation.

  3. Ask the delegate to stop or rephrase.

  4. Resume committee when appropriate.

A general committee reminder may be sufficient for minor conduct that was not directed at a particular participant. General reminders should not be used to avoid addressing serious or targeted misconduct.

Step 2: Private Conversation and Documented Warning 

This step should be used when behavior is repeated, targeted, or more concerning.

  1. A member of the dais should speak with the delegate privately, preferably with another staff member present.

  2. The dais should identify the specific conduct, explain why it was inappropriate, and state what must change.

  3. The dais should notify both the Secretary and Director General. 

  4. The incident should be documented.

  5. The delegate should be informed that further misconduct may lead to removal from the session, loss of award eligibility, or removal from the conference.

Sample Warning: “During committee, you [factually describe the conduct]. This does not meet CIAC’s expectations because [brief explanation]. You must stop this behavior and follow the chair’s directions. If it continues, this may affect your participation or award eligibility.”

  1. The dais should not promise confidentiality, require the affected participant to confront the other delegate, or conduct an extensive investigation independently. 

Step 3: Secretariat Intervention 

The matter must be referred promptly to the Secretariat when:

  1. Conduct continues after a warning.

  2. A slur, threat, discriminatory attack, or sexualized comment is involved.

  3. A participant feels unsafe or unable to continue participating.

  4. Bullying or harassment appears targeted or repeated.

  5. The alleged conduct involves a staff member.

  6. Multiple delegates are involved.

  7. A delegate refuses to follow the dais’s instructions.

  8. A participant may need to be removed from committee.

  9. The chair is uncertain how to respond.

The Secretariat may privately speak with the reporting participant, the responding participant, witnesses, members of the dais, and, when appropriate, the participant’s advisor.

Possible interim measures include:

  1. Pausing committee.

  2. Moving or separating participants.

  3. Temporarily removing a delegate from the committee room.

  4. Assigning an additional staff member to observe the committee.

  5. Rejecting or removing inappropriate written content.

  6. Adjusting participation arrangements.

Step 4: Disciplinary Action

Depending on the severity and circumstances of the incident, the Secretariat may impose:

  1. A verbal or written warning.

  2. A required apology or restorative conversation, when appropriate and voluntary for the affected participant.

  3. Restrictions on speaking or participation privileges.

  4. Temporary removal from committee.

  5. Loss of individual award eligibility.

  6. Loss of delegation award eligibility when misconduct is widespread or encouraged by the delegation.

  7. Removal from the remainder of the conference.

  8. Referral to the participant’s advisor, school, Cornell University personnel, venue security, or emergency services.

The Secretariat may bypass lower-level interventions when conduct is severe.

Emergency or Severe Incidents

Staff members should:

  1. Prioritize immediate safety.

  2. Contact the Secretariat and appropriate emergency or venue personnel.

  3. Avoid attempting to investigate the incident themselves.

  4. Preserve relevant written communications and records.

  5. Follow applicable Cornell University, venue, and legal reporting requirements.

REPORTING

Participants may report conduct:

  1. Through CIAC’s designated reporting form, either anonymously or with contact information.

  2. Privately to a chair or another member of the dais.

  3. Directly to a member of the Secretariat.

  4. Through a faculty or delegation advisor.

Reports should include, when possible:

  1. What happened.

  2. When and where it occurred.

  3. Who was involved.

  4. Whether there were witnesses.

  5. Any relevant documents or messages.

  6. Whether immediate assistance is needed.

Anonymous reports will be reviewed, although anonymity may limit CIAC’s ability to investigate or respond. CIAC will share information only with those who need it to evaluate the concern, protect participants, or satisfy applicable obligations. Absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

For incidents requiring more than immediate redirection, the dais or responding Secretariat member should record:

  1. The date, time, and committee.

  2. The names and roles of those involved, when known.

  3. A factual description of the conduct.

  4. The exact language used, when relevant.

  5. The names of witnesses and any supporting materials.

  6. Actions already taken by the dais or Secretariat.

  7. Any requested or implemented follow-up.

Designated Secretariat members should review reports promptly and as impartially as possible. Decisions must be based on the information reasonably available.

The Secretariat will consider:

  1. The severity and effect of the conduct.

  2. Whether the conduct was directed at a particular person or group.

  3. Whether it was intentional, repeated, or previously addressed.

  4. Any immediate safety or participation concerns.

  5. The participant’s response to intervention.

  6. Consistency with responses to comparable incidents.

When appropriate, the person accused of misconduct should be informed of the substance of the concern and given an opportunity to respond. The Secretariat retains final authority over conference participation and award eligibility.

Protection Against Retaliation

Retaliation against anyone who raises a concern or assists in reviewing one is prohibited and should be reported immediately.

A report made in good faith will not result in discipline merely because it cannot be substantiated. Deliberately false or malicious reports may themselves violate conference expectations.

Participation Agreement

By attending CIAC, participants agree to follow this procedure and the instructions of the CIAC Secretariat. CIAC may take reasonable action to protect participant safety, preserve equitable participation, and maintain an appropriate educational environment.