Policies

We want Vericon to be a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.

To that end, all Vericon attendees (including staff, volunteers, performers, guests, and anyone else with a Vericon badge) agree to abide by the following code of conduct, in effect for all future iterations of the convention.

Harassment of any kind is not tolerated at Vericon. This includes unwanted physical contact (sexual or not); speech that targets or threatens another person; following someone around; and in general any behavior that makes any person or group feel unsafe. Failing to back off and stop doing anything that anyone tells you makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable is harassment. Verbally attacking a person or group with slurs or derogatory comments is harassment. If someone asks you to stop interacting with them, stop and do not contact them again.

Here’s how to report harassment.

If you have experienced or witnessed harassment at Vericon, we encourage you to report the incident to Vericon staff. All reports will be taken very seriously, regardless of the person reporting or the person whose behavior is being reported. You can report harassment at any time. If you cannot find a Vericon staff member, identifiable by our gold-edged badges, you can go to the Registration desk and ask where to find a staff member, or call (617) 682-0889   to get in touch with a staff member. If you need to report harassment after the convention is over, please do so by e-mailing  conchair@vericon.org. When possible, we encourage anyone making a report to do so as soon as possible, so that we can respond quickly and make sure that Vericon is as safe as we can make it.

If you have been the victim of criminal behavior, please notify the police and, if necessary, seek medical attention. Harvard University Health Services is located in the Holyoke Center, the same building as Au Bon Pain. The Harvard University Police Department investigates crime that occurs on Harvard’s campus, including in Sever Hall and Vericon’s other convention spaces; the Cambridge Police Department investigates crime that occurs in other areas of Cambridge.

Useful Phone Numbers

BARCC (Boston Area Rape Crisis Center) – 24-Hour Hotline:  800-841-8371  and TTY:  617-492-6434

HUPD  (Harvard University Police Department) – Non-Emergency Phone Number:  617-495-1212

CPD (Cambridge Police Department) – Non-Emergency Phone Number:  617-349-3300

HUHS (Harvard University Health Services) – 24-Hour Urgent Care Number :  617-495-5711

What will happen if I report harassment?

We value the safety of all Vericon attendees over any individual’s desire to attend Vericon. Therefore, Vericon may take any of the following actions in response to a report of harassment:

  • Request that someone who is causing problems change their behavior
  • Revoke access to some or all convention spaces
  • Revoke convention membership
  • Involve Harvard University security
  • Involve Harvard University Police or Cambridge Police
  • Deny membership for a period of one or more years, or permanently.
  • Choose not to take action
  • If Vericon staff believe that someone is in need of immediate medical attention, we may call Harvard University Health Services.

Vericon will not reveal your identity unless it is absolutely necessary to take action which Vericon staff have determined is essential to maintain the safety of the convention.

What will happen if someone makes a report about me?

If someone reports that you have violated Vericon’s anti-harassment policy, a Vericon staff member will ask to speak to you about this in a private place. If you refuse this interview, we may ask you to leave the convention. If, after interviewing you and other parties involved, we believe that you have violated our policy, we may ask you to change your behavior or leave the convention, or take other actions (see above); if not, you are free to go about the convention as usual. If someone deliberately makes a false report about you, that is itself a violation of this policy and we will respond as appropriate.