The Audio Engineering Society is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology. Founded in the United States in 1948, the AES has grown to become an international membership-based organization that unites audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students by promoting advances in audio and disseminating new knowledge and research.
In addition to encouraging collegiality and collaboration through membership, AES also hosts events and forums in the spirit of disseminating knowledge in a supportive, welcoming, and friendly environment. We pride ourselves on a long legacy of networking and sharing knowledge as well as mentoring and other educational endeavors. We uphold a self-imposed obligation to professionalism and commitment, relying on generally accepted standards of behavior and communication, sharing of knowledge and experience, and integrity by all AES members.
By becoming an AES member; attending or hosting an AES event; participating in official online forums of the AES; and/or volunteering, serving on a committee, or mentoring in an AES capacity, you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct.
This Code of Conduct covers:
I. Guiding Principles
II. Harassment and Safety
III. Social Media
IV. Handling of Complaints
A. AES members, participants, attendees, and individual supporters will:
B. AES members, participants, attendees, and individual supporters will not:
AES is dedicated to providing a safe, hospitable, and productive environment for everyone regardless of ethnicity, religion, disability, physical appearance, or gender.
A community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Accordingly, AES prohibits intimidating, threatening, or harassing conduct during our events and in our online spaces. This policy applies to members, faculty, exhibitors, staff, students, volunteers, and attendees. Anyone violating these rules may be expelled from the event or space, or have their membership revoked, at the discretion of AES.
Harassment of AES participants will not be tolerated in any form. Harassment includes:
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please do not hesitate to contact an AES staff member, AES officer, event organizer, or online group administrator(s). If at an AES event, AES staff or a member of the event organizing team will be happy to help participants contact convention center / hotel / venue security or local law enforcement, and otherwise assist those experiencing harassment, to enable them to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance, and want to make your experience as productive and stimulating as possible.
Additionally, AES will not tolerate insinuations that the submissions of underrepresented groups are given special consideration. Any accusations of cheating not supported by clear evidence could be grounds for libel, violation of a school’s honor and conduct codes (if applicable), and possible dismissal from the Society. Accusations of sexual impropriety and quid pro quo favors are very serious and can harm the reputation of innocent participants.
AES’s official social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube) offers members of AES and non-member visitors professional networking, access to resources and/or other engaging content, and the exchange of ideas and best practices. At no time should these platforms be used to house or distribute inappropriate content including (but not limited to) sales-oriented information; lewd, profane, or violent comments; personal attacks, including explicit or implicit discrimination; aggressive behavior; shaming; and/or spam. AES reserves the right to monitor participation in its social media activities and remove any comments deemed inappropriate based on the discretion of AES staff or administrators.
Administrators of social media communities that represent an AES Section or other official AES presence should conform to this Code of Conduct.
If a member, participant, attendee, or individual supporter engages in harassing behavior – or, generally, behavior not compliant with this Code of Conduct – AES leadership may take any action they deem appropriate, such as:
According to the AES Bylaws Article III Section 3, upon a two-thirds majority vote, the Board of Governors may terminate the membership of any member.
This document was written and compiled by the AES Member Code of Conduct Task Force (MCCTF). It was reviewed by the AES Board of Governors, and voted upon during the Board of Governors conference call on 11 December 2019, at which time it became official policy.
Please direct inquiries about this policy to secretary@aes.org.
III. Social Media: