Incident Response Team

Samvera’s model for responding to incidents of Code of Conduct or Anti-Harassment violations is to have a team of responders, called the Response Team, responsible for and capable of handling incidents reported either online or at in-person events and determining if a violation has occurred. The Response Team is a separate body from the Samvera Helpers, though membership may overlap (individuals may serve in both capacities, but do not have to do so).

The Response Team comprises 5-10 members. Names of the members and their term dates are recorded on the Samvera wiki. Each Response Team member serves a two-year term. At the end of the first year, the individual has the opportunity to confirm their willingness and availability to continue to serve their term on the Response Team. A member can serve up to 3 consecutive two-year terms. If any time, a Response team member needs to step back for a break, three-months notice are requested so there is sufficient time to find, and potentially train, a replacement member.

Samvera Community Safety

View the Samvera Code of Conduct Incident Response Manual

Current Incident Response Team Members

Carolyn Caizzi, Northwestern University
Esmé Cowles, Princeton University Library
Hannah Frost, Stanford University
James Griffin, Princeton University Library
Alicia Morris, Tufts University
Simeon Warner, Cornell University

Responsibilities of the Response Team

Samvera’s Code of Conduct Response Team holds primary responsibility for responding to violations of our Code of Conduct and/or Anti-Harassment Policy. The Code of Conduct Response Team (“Response Team,” for short) is a separate body from Samvera’s Helpers, though membership may overlap (individuals may serve in both capacities, but do not have to do so).

Response team obligations:

Incident reports are infrequent events that require a quick response when they do occur. Response Team members should monitor Team channels for incidents and participate in a response when appropriate.
Every Response Team member will not participate in the response to every incident report. When an incident is reported, the Incident Responder will assemble a team based on team member availability, conflicts of interest, and the seriousness of the incident.
Response Team membership is not an obligation to be available at all times for an incident response, or to attend every Samvera event. Members are expected to make a good faith effort to participate when they are present and available.

Response Team member responsibilities:

Onboard to the response process by attending a Response Team training
Participate in an annual review of policies
Monitor the Response Team email group for any reports and participate in incident response when appropriate
Act as a Response Team member for Samvera events (both in person and online) when available
Serve on an Incident Team when appropriate. An Incident Team is a subset of the Response Team formed to address a specific incident. The Incident Team is disbanded when response is deemed complete. The Team includes the Incident Responder who is the primary contact for the report throughout the response process.

Process for joining the Response Team

The Samvera Community uses a vetting process to ensure that Code of Conduct Response Team members can operate with the trust of the Samvera community.

Read and make sure you can agree to uphold the Code of Conduct and Anti-Harassment policy. If you have any questions about these documents, contact the Community Manager.
Fill out the Response Team volunteer form to nominate yourself.
The Community Manager will inform the Community that someone has been nominated as a Response Team Member, and solicit feedback with a specific deadline. The Community Manager will direct people to provide feedback about the nominee privately.
If the prospective member is approved to serve, the Community Manager will make an announcement to the Community with a brief introduction to the new Response Team member.

See the Samvera Code of Conduct Incident Response Manual for full details of the vetting process.