We take the safety of our Colloquium guests extremely seriously, and it is our mission to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment that foregrounds voices that have been otherwise marginalized or dismissed as a vital part of the academic conversation.
The Sewanee Medieval Colloquium is dedicated to collegial discourse, and seeks to provide a productive conversation for all participants, regardless of race, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, religion, or maternity status. Indeed, we wish to promote discussions and interactions that intelligently challenge dominant notions of the Middle Ages (and academe in general). We wish to promote discussions and interactions that intelligently challenge our own histories of exclusion. We wish to encourage scholars of all ranks and backgrounds to participate fully in our Colloquium. Therefore, we expect all participants to adhere to our policies concerning harassment.
Harassment constitutes any conduct that has the purpose or effect of violating another’s dignity or creating a hostile, intimidating, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for that person. This includes unwanted sexual touching, speech, or conduct. To ensure the safety and security of all our conference attendees, individuals who have a clear history of such behavior will not be invited to participate in our events.
If you feel that you are being harassed or bullied, or notice the harassment and bullying of others, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Colloquium organizers. If you are asked to cease an activity that is deemed to be inappropriate, we expect that you will comply immediately. We reserve the right to take action against those who violate our policies, including expelling them from the Sewanee Medieval Colloquium, and excluding them from future colloquia.
We are also dedicated to making the Colloquium accessible. All of our sessions, plenaries, and events are in handicapped accessible rooms, and we are happy to accommodate those with visual or auditory requirements. There are accessible restrooms in all of our buildings except Convocation Hall (which the University hopes to update soon), but there are accessible restrooms nearby. Colloquium attendees are welcome to use the restroom corresponding to their gender expression. If there are other accommodations that would make attending the conference easier or possible for you, we ask that you let us know so we can work to include as many voices as possible.
