Ver­sion of 06/03/2026

1. Introduction

The EPOG pro­gramme is ded­i­cat­ed to cul­ti­vat­ing a com­mu­ni­ty root­ed in respect, dig­ni­ty, inclu­sion, safe­ty, and aca­d­e­m­ic free­dom. We recog­nise that mul­ti­cul­tur­al dia­logue and col­lab­o­ra­tion require both free­dom and respon­si­bil­i­ty: the free­dom to engage in rig­or­ous inquiry and debate, and the respon­si­bil­i­ty to do so with­out harm, intim­i­da­tion, or exclusion.

This Code of Con­duct applies to all mem­bers of the EPOG com­mu­ni­ty: stu­dents, alum­ni, aca­d­e­m­ic and non‑academic staff, and invit­ed guests, par­tic­i­pat­ing in any in-per­son, vir­tu­al, aca­d­e­m­ic and social spaces asso­ci­at­ed with EPOG, and aims to guide behav­iour, pre­vent harm, and pro­vide clear mech­a­nisms for address­ing concerns.

2. Principles

EPOG expects all com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers to uphold the fol­low­ing principles:

• Aca­d­e­m­ic freedom
• Respect and dignity
• Inclu­siv­i­ty and equity
• Safe­ty and well-being
• Account­abil­i­ty

3. What constitutes misconduct?

Mis­con­duct under­mines trust, well­be­ing, and the edu­ca­tion­al mis­sion of EPOG. Mis­con­duct can occur across a con­tin­u­um of behav­iours, includ­ing but not lim­it­ed to:

A. Unacceptable behaviours

These are pat­terns or sin­gle acts that are seri­ous, threat­en­ing or abusive:

• Dis­crim­i­na­to­ry or exclu­sion­ary acts based on iden­ti­ty (eth­nic­i­ty, gen­der, sex­u­al­i­ty, dis­abil­i­ty, reli­gion, nation­al­i­ty, etc.)
• Non-con­sen­su­al shar­ing of inti­mate images or per­son­al information
• Ver­bal abuse, humil­i­a­tion, or harassment
• Stalk­ing, coer­cion, or intimidation
• Phys­i­cal harm or threats of harm
• Sex­u­al harass­ment and assault

B. Inappropriate conduct

Behav­iours that may strain rela­tion­ships, cre­ate dis­com­fort, or reflect a lack of respect, and war­rant reflec­tion or cor­rec­tive feedback:

• Per­sis­tent unso­licit­ed advice or pressure
• Insen­si­tive lan­guage or jokes that marginalise
• Inva­sion of per­son­al space with­out consent

4. Conflict resolution mechanisms

EPOG strives for fair, con­fi­den­tial, and sup­port­ive res­o­lu­tion pathways.

1. Informal pathways

When­ev­er pos­si­ble and safe, indi­vid­u­als are encour­aged to:

• Address con­cerns direct­ly and respect­ful­ly with the per­son involved.
• Seek sup­port from peers, men­tors, teach­ers, or coordinators.
• Use facil­i­tat­ed dia­logue through the Advi­so­ry Team (below) to clar­i­fy per­spec­tives and pro­pose non-for­mal resolutions.

2. Formal reporting

If a con­cern can­not be resolved infor­mal­ly, or if the behav­iour is seri­ous (e.g., relat­ed to harass­ment, threats, or dis­crim­i­na­tion), a for­mal com­plaint may be lodged.

How to sub­mit a complaint:

• Com­plaints can be sub­mit­ted in writ­ing to the Advi­so­ry Team, or emailed to a des­ig­nat­ed con­fi­den­tial address.
• Com­plaints should include:
  • Names of par­ties involved (if known)
  • Descrip­tion of behav­iour with dates/contexts
  • Any sup­port­ing infor­ma­tion or witnesses
• Anony­mous com­plaints may be received, but respond­ing options might be limited.

3. Initial assessment

Upon receipt, the Advi­so­ry Team (below) will:

• Con­firm if the Code of Con­duct applies
• Assess whether the behav­iour falls under misconduct
• Offer the com­plainant options for next steps
• Deter­mine whether imme­di­ate pro­tec­tive mea­sures are needed

5. Advisory team

The EPOG Advi­so­ry Team is an inde­pen­dent, diverse group empow­ered to assess and guide com­plaints, and advise the EPOG Con­sor­tium Com­mit­tee when necessary.

This team comprises:

• One aca­d­e­m­ic staff member
• One non-aca­d­e­m­ic staff member
• One rep­re­sen­ta­tive of the EPOG Stu­dents & Alum­ni Asso­ci­a­tion (EPOG SAA)

Responsibilities

The Advi­so­ry Team can:

• Offer con­fi­den­tial lis­ten­ing and guid­ance to indi­vid­u­als expe­ri­enc­ing or wit­ness­ing misconduct
• Clar­i­fy insti­tu­tion­al poli­cies and poten­tial pathways
• Facil­i­tate infor­mal res­o­lu­tion process­es where appropriate
• Rec­om­mend pro­tec­tive or inter­im mea­sures where safe­ty is a concern
• Advise the EPOG Con­sor­tium Com­mit­tee on sys­temic issues or seri­ous mis­con­duct cases
• Pro­pose edu­ca­tion­al or restora­tive actions, includ­ing refer­rals to exter­nal services
• The Advi­so­ry Team shall oper­ate with con­fi­den­tial­i­ty, impar­tial­i­ty, and respect for due process

6. Outcomes & possible actions

Depend­ing on the sever­i­ty and nature of the behav­iour, rec­om­mend­ed actions may include (but are not lim­it­ed to):

• Infor­mal medi­a­tion or facil­i­tat­ed conversation
• Edu­ca­tion­al or reflec­tive activ­i­ties (e.g., work­shops on communication)
• For­mal inves­ti­ga­tion under insti­tu­tion­al procedures
• Rec­om­men­da­tions for sanc­tions when appro­pri­ate (e.g., warn­ings, restric­tion of access to cer­tain activ­i­ties, expul­sion, refer­ral to authorities)