About

Code of Conduct

The professional and ethical standards binding everyone who works at CASSA.

All CASSA Members, staff, student researchers, and volunteers are bound by the professional and ethical standards set out in this Code; compliance is a condition of membership and of participation in any CASSA activity. The Code applies in every CASSA setting — the premises, online channels, outreach, events, and travel.

1 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

  1. 1.1 CASSA is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in accordance with the norms of the American Astronomical Society.
  2. 1.2 Discrimination on any basis — including gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, disability, age, or socioeconomic background — is prohibited.
  3. 1.3 All personnel shall use inclusive language and take reasonable steps to ensure accessible participation in CASSA activities.

2 Respect and Professional Conduct

  1. 2.1 All personnel shall treat colleagues, students, and outreach participants with dignity and fairness.
  2. 2.2 All personnel are colleagues of equal standing; authority derives from an assigned role, never from seniority, gender, or personal association.
  3. 2.3 Harassment, bullying, intimidation, and language intended to shame or humiliate are prohibited in all CASSA settings, including online and outreach contexts.

3 Research Integrity

  1. 3.1 Fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism are prohibited; all research output must reflect honest attribution of contributions.
  2. 3.2 Authorship and acknowledgement shall follow the norms of the relevant discipline.
  3. 3.3 Data, code, and materials shall be managed and retained in accordance with applicable funder and journal policies.

4 Professional Boundaries

  1. 4.1 Romantic or sexual relationships where a power differential exists — including faculty/student, supervisor/RA, and CASSA staff/outreach participant — are prohibited.
  2. 4.2 Displays of romantic affection are not permitted on CASSA premises or at any CASSA activity.
  3. 4.3 No academic opportunity, HPC access, co-authorship, or CASSA position may be exchanged for personal favours.

5 Teamwork

  1. 5.1 Decisions of a team shall be taken in meetings of which every member has notice, and communicated in writing to members not present.
  2. 5.2 Work shall be allocated by agreed role; receiving a salary does not make one member accountable for the duties of others.
  3. 5.3 When a plan is changed or abandoned, everyone whose work or contacts it engaged shall be informed promptly.

6 Communication

  1. 6.1 Work-related communications shall use official CASSA or IUB channels; unmonitored personal channels shall not be used for CASSA business.

7 Conflicts of Interest

  1. 7.1 All conflicts of interest shall be declared in accordance with clause 9 of the Constitution.
  2. 7.2 A close personal relationship — familial, domestic, friendship, or romantic — with anyone else working at CASSA shall be declared to the Office of the Director in advance.
  3. 7.3 A person so related to a party in a dispute or formal proceeding may be heard as a witness, but shall not act as decision-maker, investigator, or formal representative in the matter.

8 Premises and Facilities

  1. 8.1 The office is opened at 10 am and closed by 6 pm by the Manager (Science), unless a faculty member is present.
  2. 8.2 Presence after 6 pm requires the company of a faculty member, or that member's written permission; an email suffices.
  3. 8.3 Keys are held by faculty members and the Manager (Science) alone; a key may be issued temporarily only with a faculty member's written permission, for at most two consecutive days.
  4. 8.4 The office is used only by personnel enrolled on the IFP in a specific CASSA role; everyone shall sign in and out on the IFP when using the premises.
  5. 8.5 Guests require an appointment and a specific reason; only a faculty member may bring a guest without these, and shall notify the Office of the Director in advance of doing so.
  6. 8.6 A minor child for whom an employee has no alternative care that day may accompany the employee, with advance notice to the Manager (Science); the child shall remain under the parent's continuous supervision and away from all equipment, and may stay only so long as the working environment is undisturbed.
  7. 8.7 A recurring need for such an arrangement shall be discussed with the Office of the Director — or, where the employee currently holds that office, with the other Core Members — after which the employee may set a schedule and notify the CASSA office of it; the Safeguarding Policy applies whenever a minor is on the premises.
  8. 8.8 A desk allocated to a faculty member shall not be used in that member's absence without written permission.
  9. 8.9 The sofa serves meetings and discussions; it shall not be used for sleeping or resting, except where a faculty member has authorized such use for a medical reason.

9 Equipment and Computing

  1. 9.1 CASSA equipment — laptops, desktops, telescopes, and all other apparatus — shall be used only with a booking via inside.cassa.bd or written permission; use without a booking draws warnings and, on repetition, suspension of access.
  2. 9.2 The custodian of the CASSA HPC and Claude accounts may suspend or revoke any account — permanently or for a period proportionate to the offence — where its use hampers the work of others on the shared systems.
  3. 9.3 On expiry of a contract, the holder has one month to empty their HPC account, after which the account is deleted.
  4. 9.4 Where a project requires HPC use beyond the contract, the supervisor may request an extension in writing, for a specific period only.

10 Shared Amenities

  1. 10.1 Coffee from CASSA-provided beans is brewed once daily at 10 am and may be taken by anyone in the office, irrespective of rank; none is served after 1 pm.
  2. 10.2 Anyone may brew coffee from personal beans at any time.
  3. 10.3 The CASSA washroom is unisex and kept locked at all times; it is used only by key holders.
  4. 10.4 Washroom keys are held by faculty members, managers, and postbaccalaureate and graduate research assistants; all other personnel shall use the 8th-floor washrooms.
  5. 10.5 Misuse of the washroom — spilling water anywhere outside the commode and sink, dirtying the floor, leaving the commode lid up, or urinating while standing — results in revocation of the key.

11 Physical Conduct and Environment

  1. 11.1 Dress and conduct shall be professional and appropriate to the setting.
  2. 11.2 The office is an open workspace: voices shall be kept to a minimum, and group discussions shall take place outside the office unless a group meeting has been booked.
  3. 11.3 Mobile phones shall be kept in silent mode inside the office, and phone conversations shall take place outside it.
  4. 11.4 Alcohol and illegal drugs are prohibited on CASSA premises and at all CASSA events.

12 Safety

  1. 12.1 In a power failure or other emergency, those present shall ascertain the safety of every person on the premises before dispersing.
  2. 12.2 Schedules shall have regard to every member's safe travel, particularly after dark; no one shall be included in travel or overnight arrangements without their prior, informed consent.
  3. 12.3 Every appointment is preceded by a background check, including references from previous workplaces.

13 Reporting Concerns

  1. 13.1 Any concern, including a concern about CASSA management, may be raised — anonymously if preferred — via inside.cassa.bd; every concern is reviewed, and no one shall face retaliation for a concern raised in good faith.
  2. 13.2 A concern about the Manager (Science) goes to a core faculty member; about a Core Member, to another faculty member who is a core or associate member; about the Office of the Director, to the Core Members outside that office.
  3. 13.3 Grave matters, or any case where the internal routes are themselves conflicted, may be taken directly to the independent IUB committees named in the Safeguarding Policy.
  4. 13.4 Concerns involving children or vulnerable adults shall be escalated immediately under the Safeguarding Policy.

14 Accountability

  1. 14.1 Violations of this Code trigger the two-step removal process set out in clause 20 of the Constitution.