Event Policies

CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY

All registration fees, less 25% of the total registration fee for administrative costs, will be refunded upon written notice of cancellation to the SOCS office received at least two weeks prior to the event. 

There will be no refund of fees for cancellations made less than two weeks prior to the event or for lack of attendance without notification.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your cancellation request has been received by the SOCS headquarters office. All refund requests must be submitted in writing to info@skinofcolorsociety.org. “No shows” who have not pre-paid will be invoiced for the total registration fee.

ATTENDEE BEHAVIOR POLICY

The Skin of Color Society (SOCS) is committed to providing a professional, collegial, safe, productive, welcoming and respectful in-person and virtual meeting environment for all meeting participants and SOCS staff, regardless of a person’s race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, age, religion, disability status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical appearance, or other characteristic (“personal characteristics”). All participants, including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, SOCS staff members, service providers, and all other attendees (each a “Participant”) are expected to abide by this In-Person and Virtual Program Code of Conduct. This Policy applies to all SOCS meeting-related events, including those sponsored by organizations other than SOCS but held in conjunction with SOCS events, on public or private platforms.

SOCS expects individuals to uphold the professional and educational purposes of SOCS and its events by respecting the rights, privacy, safety, and dignity of all persons. SOCS expects individuals to exercise professionalism, consideration, and respect in their speech and actions. Furthermore, SOCS expects individuals to refrain from harassing speech and other harassing behavior.

SOCS has zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination or harassment. If you experience harassment or hear of any incidents of unacceptable behavior or believe there has been a violation of this Policy, you are encouraged to send an e-mail to info@skinofcolorsociety.org. Reports may be anonymous or attributed.

Unacceptable Behavior is defined as:

• Sustained or repeated disruption of talks or other events.
• Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form.
• Inappropriate, unnecessary, or irrelevant use of nudity and/or sexual images. Verbal or written abuse of any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, SOCS staff member, service provider, or other meeting guest.
• Examples of verbal abuse include, but are not limited to, verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, national origin, inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces or in presentations, or threatening or stalking any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, SOCS staff member, service provider, or other meeting guest.
• Disruption of presentations during sessions, in the exhibit hall, or at other events organized by SOCS throughout the meeting. All participants must comply with the instructions of the moderator and any SOCS in-person/virtual event staff.
• Presentations, postings, and messages should not contain promotional materials, special offers, job offers, product announcements, or solicitation for services. SOCS reserves the right to remove such messages and potentially ban sources of those solicitations.
• Intimidating, harassing, abusive, defamatory, profane, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning speech.
• Expressed or implied threat of physical or professional harm.
• Actual or threatened personal or professional retaliation for a rejection or report of unacceptable behavior.
• Failing to stop unacceptable behavior when requested by a Participant or SOCS.
• Participants should not copy or take screen shots of Q&A or any chat room activity that takes place in the in-person and virtual space.
• No video recording. 

SOCS reserves the right to take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including immediate removal from the meeting without warning or refund, in response to any incident of unacceptable behavior, and SOCS reserves the right to prohibit attendance at any future meeting, virtually or in person.

Ver. 01/15/2021 approved by the EC.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO RECORDING POLICY

SOCS honors the copyrights of owners and upholds ethical sharing of scientific research. All participants are expected to adhere to the photography and recording policy.

Photo Policy: 
Conference attendees may take photographs during oral or poster presentations provided that the photographs are strictly for personal, noncommercial use, and not disruptive to the speaker or other learners. 

Participants should not copy or take screen shots of Q&A or any chat room activity that takes place in the in-person and virtual space.

Video Policy: 
No video recording allowed. 

By registering for the SOCS Scientific Symposium or other SOCS Event, I agree to be bound by the terms of the Photography & Video Recording Policy.

Event Photography/Video Permission

I hereby grant the Skin of Color Society permission to use my likeness in a photograph, video, or other digital media (“photo”) in any and all of its publications, including web-based publications, without payment or other consideration.