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Policy Statement
At trAce we cherish and respect the
dignity and diversity of all our staff, both employed and
freelance, and of all our members, students, users, potential
users and participating writers, regardless of personal
characteristics and differences. We are therefore committed
to equality of opportunity and to the elimination of unfair
and unlawful discrimination.
trAce aims to ensure that no-one connected
to or serviced by the trAce Online Writing Centre or its
associated projects receives less favourable treatment than
any other person on the grounds of race, colour, nationality,
ethnicity, religious or political beliefs*, disability,
HIV status, gender, age, marital or family status, socio-economic
group, sexual orientation, or responsibility for dependants.
* with the exception that any religious or political beliefs
which transgress British law fall outside this policy.
We are committed to the prevention
of discrimination in the contracting of consultants, tutors,
researchers, freelance artists, writers and programmers
or any other professional service providers. We expect that
all our staff, students, members and participants will take
personal responsibility for acting within the spirit of
this policy and will actively promote equality of opportunity
and respect for diversity in all aspects of our working
practice.
trAce abides by the Nottingham Trent
University Equal Opportunities Policy
Objectives
trAce is open to writers and artists
all over the world (in over 120 countries), and continues
to develop links with the wider community with the purpose
of fostering positive relationships and building a truly
culturally diverse community of writers.
We are committed to making the trAce
website as accessible as possible in the widest possible
sense, within the constraints of budget and resources.
trAce is actively seeking to widen
the cultural representation on its management board.
Artistic Policy
We support freedom of speech. We are
committed to supporting artistic practice across its entire
range, recognising such practice as a basic means of expression
- and thus a basic right - of diverse individuals and communities
in society, and regarding as fundamental our protection
and promotion of the artistic and intellectual freedom of
the artists with whom we work. This commitment is seen as
a natural outcome of, and providing important support for,
our policy on equal opportunities. Our code
of conduct has been drawn up and publicised as a major
step in implementing this policy.
Implementation
This policy will be implemented by
the trAce Management Team.
We will aim to collect as much information as possible on
diversity of our members, users, students and participants
so long as collecting this information does not infringe
their online privacy. This policy and its implementation
will be monitored by the trAce Management Board and reviewed
as necessary.
Drafted September 2003
By Helen Whitehead
trAce Code of Conduct/ Statement
of Community Principles
trAce exists to connect writers
and readers around the world in real and virtual space.
As a professional and social online community for writers,
readers and other artists, and in support of its purpose,
the trAce community has adopted three general governing
principles:
1. Principle of Tolerance
We are people of many nationalities,
ages, cultures and artistic persuasions. We ask that everyone
act with respect for others and recognize that effort may
be necessary to avoid misunderstandings rising out of our
differences.
2. Principle of Artistic and
Intellectual Freedom
We are committed to
a) supporting artistic practice across its entire range;
b) recognising such practice as a basic means of expression;
and
c) regarding as fundamental our protection and promotion
of the artistic and intellectual freedom of the artists
with whom we work.
3. Principle of Responsible
Behaviour
We share not only a common sector
of cyberspace but also resources, which are provided through
real-life support, effort and funding and which are finite.
Responsible behaviour is defined as that which conforms
to netiquette standards and which does not interfere in
the access and use of trAce resources.
The above principles were drafted
by a representative group of trAce users in May 2000 and
are supported by the organisation as a whole.
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