Code of Conduct

PRESCOTT AREA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS CODE OF CONDUCT

1. INTRODUCTION

Membership with Prescott Area Young Professionals (“PAYP”) carries certain duties and responsibilities.  This Code of Conduct outlines some of those duties and responsibilities.

1. CONFIDENTIALITY

PAYP Core Team and PAYP Executive Board will from time to time come to know information that, if revealed to outsiders, fellow members, or even to PAYP Executive Board, could be highly embarrassing to a PAYP Executive Board or chair member, harmful to the interests of the PAYP, or even create legal liability for the PAYP. All information acquired by a PAYP Executive Board or PAYP Core Team member concerning PAYP personnel matters, financial matters, legal matters, member status issues, or any other item of PAYP business designated by the President as being confidential in nature, therefore shall be held in the strictest of confidence and shall not be divulged to any outside party, including PAYP Executive Board, without prior authorization by the President.

III.      REPRESENTATION OF PAYP

Ordinarily, only the President and Vice-President may sign contracts, correspondence, and other documents on behalf of the PAYP.  Other PAYP Executive Board, PAYP Executive Board or PAYP staff may only do so upon the express direction by the President or Vice-President, or upon a resolution of the PAYP Executive Board.

As a member of PAYP you are requested to conduct all PAYP business and professional activities in a reputable manner, to reflect honorably upon yourself and your business, and to respect the good reputation of PAYP.  All members are asked to respect the property, personal and professional, of the people and businesses with which you interact, by never stealing or defacing public or private property.

1. POLICY DEVELOPMENT 

As a PAYP Executive Board or PAYP Core Team member, you are responsible for establishing all policy matters brought before you.  The PAYP Executive Board is the one and only source of policy decisions.  Although your personal position or thoughts on an issue are important and can be helpful for the PAYP Executive Board to hear all points of view, once the PAYP Executive Board has taken an official position on a particular matter, you are requested to place your personal position aside for the good of the organization.  

WHAT IS POLICY?  Policy is a formal statement of position in the name of the Prescott Area Young Professionals.

A policy statement may be:

1. Advisory to our membership and the community at large, as on a public question such as support for – or opposition to – a ballot proposition.
2. A statement of a course of action to be taken by PAYP.

WHO MAKES POLICY?  In nearly all cases, policy is recommended to the PAYP Executive Board.  Such recommen­dations are made by the PAYP’s standing committees (e.g. Nomination, Social, Service, Membership, Education, Advisory, or Marketing Committees) concerning matters within their field of interest, or by special committees appointed by the Board to study a specific issue.

In many cases, standing committees have subcommittees which have been assigned specific fields of interest (e.g., Party in the Pines). Policy formulation then begins with the studies and reports of these subcommittees to the standing committee. The Chairman of the committee making the report to the Board is expected to make the main argument before the Board in support of his committee’s recommendation.  Where desirable, he may bring expert witnesses from the committee to assist the Board in study of the issue.  Arrangements for any guest to be invited to a Board meeting should be made well in advance with the President.

PUBLICITY ON COMMITTEE ACTION   Publicity on a committee policy recommendation before it has been approved by the PAYP Executive Board and PAYP Marketing Committee is forbidden.

1. POLICY AGAINST HARASSMENT

PAYP does not tolerate unlawful harassment of any of its members.  Any form of harassment which violates federal, state or local law, including, but not limited to harassment related to an individual’s race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, age, medical condition (cancer related or HIV/AIDS related), or physical or mental disability is a violation of this policy.  For these purposes the term “harassment,” includes slurs and any other offensive remarks, jokes, other verbal, graphic, or physical conduct.

In addition to the above listed conduct, “sexual harassment” can also include the following examples of unacceptable behavior:

• unwanted sexual advances;
• offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors;
• visual conduct — leering, making sexual gestures, displaying of sexually suggestive objects or pictures, cartoons or posters;
• verbal sexual advances or propositions;
• verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal commentaries about an individual’s body, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual suggestive or obscene letters, notes or invitations; or
• physical conduct — touching, assault, impeding or blocking movements.

Note that this policy is a “zero-tolerance” policy.  Any violation of this policy will be treated as a disciplinary matter, regardless of whether it constitutes illegal harassment under the law.

A PAYP member who feels that he or she is being harassed by another PAYP member or by a PAYP Core Team should immediately notify a PAYP Executive Board member.  A PAYP member will not be penalized in any way for reporting a harassment problem.

All complaints of harassment which are reported will be investigated as promptly as possible. All complaints of harassment which are reported will be treated with as much confidentiality as possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.

Harassment of PAYP Core Team members in connection with their work by PAYP Executive Board or outsiders may also be a violation of this policy.  Any such harassment should be reported immediately, and appropriate action will be taken.  Harassment of PAYP Core Team by fellow members of PAYP Executive Board, PAYP Core team and/or PAYP members is also prohibited.

VIII.   VIOLATIONS OF CODE OF CONDUCT

Violations of this Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action, including the removal from PAYP membership as well as removal from PAYP Executive Board and/or PAYP Core Team.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT
By becoming a PAYP member, you agree to the Prescott Area Young Professionals Code of Conduct and that PAYP members are responsible for reading and following it.