The New York Young Republican Club (the “Club”) is committed to fostering a safe, productive, and enjoyable environment for its members and guests. To ensure this type of environment of mutual trust and respect, the Club has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment or sexual harassment.
The Club hereby adopts and shall implement the following policy for its meetings, events, social gatherings, and any activities deemed beyond the Club’s central activities but within the context of or following any of the aforementioned Club events.
Preliminary Statement
All members, guests, and event attendees have a right to an environment free from discrimination and harassing conduct, including sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is expressly prohibited under this policy.
Definitions:
“Harassment” means persistent and unwelcome conduct or actions, in any case, through language, actions, messages, physical contact, or as deemed inappropriate in the view of a member of the Executive Committee or Board of Governors of the Club in their reasonable discretion.
“Sexual harassment” means unwelcome sexual advances, unwelcome physical contact of any nature or of a nature considered sexual, or any unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
“Unwelcome” means verbal or physical conduct not necessarily of a sexual nature but including of a sexual nature, that is repeated, unsolicited, and/or inappropriate to include gestures, comments, messages, or touching.
Club Procedure in Incidents of Harassment
Any member or attendee who believes he or she is the target of harassment or has been the target of harassment by a member, attendee, guest, Officer, or Governor shall promptly notify any Officer on the Executive Committee or a member of the Board of Governors. If the claim is against a member of either the Board of Governors or the Executive Committee, the member or attendee shall notify a member of a body in which the alleged harasser does not currently sit.
Upon notification of a harassment complaint, any of the Board of Governors or the Executive Committee shall notify the Sergeant-at-Arms, Law Chairman, and the Rules Chairman. They shall open a confidential and impartial investigation immediately to include direct interviews with involved parties and, where necessary, with other members, guests, or attendees who may witness or know matters relating to the complaint. If the Sergeant-at-Arms, Law Chairman, or Rules Chairman, is the subject of harassment or accused of harassment, the President shall or shall appoint a replacement from the Board of Governors or Executive Committee to conduct the investigation on their behalf.
Disciplinary Action
Following a report of harassment to any member of the Board of Governors or Officer while at the event, the notified Board of Governors member or Officer, (i) if of the same sex as the alleged offender, shall personally or (ii) if not of the same sex as the alleged offender, shall assign a Board of Governor member or Officer of the same sex, to give the offender a warning. No more than one (1) warning shall be given. Board of Governors members and Officers, in their sole discretion, can ask any individual to leave if the report of harassment rises to the level of immediate dismissal from the event in their sole, reasonable discretion.
In all instances of reported harassment to any of the Board of Governors or Officers, the Law Chairman shall be notified subject to the limitations as noted above. Following the completion of an investigation by the Sergeant-at-Arms, Law Chairman, and Rules Chairman, the Sergeant-at-Arms, or a duly appointed third party, subject to the limitations above, the findings will be presented to a committee of four (4) members of the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee of which no more than two (2) shall be from either body. By a three-fourths majority (¾), following the presentation of the information by the Sergeant-at-Arms, Law Chairman, the Rules Chairman, or a duly appointed third party, the committee may take some or all of the following actions:
- find the individual cleared, not culpable, or not rising to further disciplinary action arising from the incident;
- send a warning letter to the individual;
- revoke the membership of the individual; or
- ban the individual from future events.
Such action shall immediately commence following the finding of the committee and shall be considered confidential.
For the avoidance of doubt, this policy does not subject the Club to any liability arising from any act made by any member, guest, or attendee towards any other member, guest, or attendee. By attending any event, all members, guests, and attendees agree to act per this policy and all decisions made by the Board of Governors or Executive Committee. Any failure by any member, guest, or attendee to agree to this policy subjects the party to removal from events or the membership of the Club at the Board of Governors or Executive Committee’s sole and reasonable discretion.