Statement on Harassment

The WisCon Committee is aware of the substantial online discussion of past reported harassment incidents at WisCon, and how they were handled. We know that we have failed very significantly in how we followed up on a couple of incident reports from WisCon 36 and WisCon 37. We could talk about how these reports fell through the cracks, and why we are dissatisfied with penalties in situations where penalties were imposed, but we would rather simply apologize to the people involved, and the entire membership. Every harassment report made should be responded to quickly, clearly, and with prompt follow-up actions. After the WisCon 37 problems we began building systems that we believe will improve this in the future, but we cannot change the past. Changes prior to the recently concluded Wiscon 38 included establishing a member advocate position as an ongoing liaison for the reporters, making the safety chair a year-round function to avoid losing track of reports which arrive just after a con during the transition to new chairs and a new committee, and setting up a standing harassment policy subcommittee to improve both our published policies and our internal procedures. For WisCon 38 there was a new first responder's guide which we distributed to all committee members and the entire at-con safety team. Prior to WisCon 39 we expect to radically improve our ability to impose meaningful penalties. Until we can consult an attorney, we are not going to make public comments on particular people or incidents. We are in the process of arranging that consultation now. We will say, however, that when additional information comes to light about an accused harasser, that information is essential in making appropriate clear decisions for following years. We are collecting information (and responding to reporters promptly) so that we can make better decisions going forward. WisCon's Harassment Policy Committee is a large and geographically disparate group, and there are limits to how fast it can act. Please have patience with this protracted process, and know that we take your concerns seriously and are working hard on these problems. The member advocate for 2014-2015 is Debbie Notkin (memberadvocate@wiscon.info). The safety chair is Ariel Franklin-Hudson (safety@wiscon.info). The convention chair for WisCon 39 is Jim Leinweber (chair@wiscon.info). Reports, questions, and comments can be sent to Ariel and Debbie through the safety@wiscon.info email address.

The ConCom is aware of concerns about Jim Frenkel's presence this year. We very much regret that members were made to feel unsafe. We take the concerns of our community very seriously, are reviewing the matter, and will make a detailed statement soon. The ConCom volunteers live and work in many different time zones, and some are still in transit. We are working to respond to concerns ASAP. Please email safety@wiscon.info if you have concerns about harassment or other matters at WisCon38.

WisCon 38 Survey Links

To take our general survey, please go here. To take our survey specifically about programming, please go here.

Monday Newsletter

Read Monday's newsletter with highlights of the Guest of Honor speeches and Tiptree ceremony, next year's Guests of Honor, and more!

WisCon 38 GOH Speeches

We're working on getting our final newsletter online. In the meantime, both of our Guests of Honor have posted the text of their speeches in their respective blogs. here is a link to Hiromi Goto's speech. And here is a link to N.K. Jemisin's speech.

WisCon 38: At-Con Newsletter #3!

Click here to read the latest WisCon newsletter! Updates from the Tiptree Auction and more!

WisCon 38 Newsletter, Issue #2 + Supplement

Click here to read our second at-con newsletter! Here is a supplement to the newsletter, specifically about the Tiptree Auction. Both links open as PDFs. This newsletter is also available on paper on the second floor of the Concourse Hotel.

A Momentary Taste of WisCon 38: Issue #1

Here's a link to our first at-con newsletter for #WisCon 38! Link opens as PDF. There are paper copies available on the second floor of the Concourse Hotel.

eCube #8

WisCon 38 & SFRA are fast approaching! Check out our latest eCube for information on a spontaneous writing contest and also daily deals to make your weekend potentially more affordable.

eCube Volume 38, Number 7

Check out our new eCube, with important information about the recent Mumps outbreak in Madison, updates on Inn on the Park, volunteer opportunities, affordability information, and more.

All-Hotel eCube #6

The Concourse Hotel is undergoing some renovations. We've created an all-hotel edition of eCube to let you know what's changing.

eCube: Volume 38, No. 5

A new eCube came out on April 11th. Check it out for information about hotels reservations, confirming preliminary programming assignments, the dessert salon, role-playing gaming, things needed for children to take apart, SFRA, and more. We also need volunteers to run activities at the Gathering and someone to run the Tiptree Bake Sale. You can read the eCube online here.

Preliminary Program Schedules Out

Preliminary programming schedules have gone out! Check your email's spam filter, or login at WisCon.info to see yours. If you have any issues, please email program@wiscon.info.

eCube #4 is out!

Check out our latest eCube! Information about hotel reservations, the Concourse Hotel's partial remodel, how to request ASL interpretation (deadline is April 1st!), and two volunteers needed: one at the Registration Table & one to be At-Con Tiptree Bake Sale Coordinator.

Making Lodging Plans for WisCon

The Concourse is filling up! If you're having trouble getting a reservation, check out the Hotel page on our website to see which other local hotels have WisCon overflow room blocks, & advice for how to find some roommates.

There's still time to nominate Guests of Honor for WisCon 39!

The deadline to nominate guests of honor for WisCon 39 is tomorrow, March 22nd. If you'd like to nominate someone, please send an email to gohnoms@wiscon.info. Please use "WisCon 39 GOH Nominations" as your subject line. Write a brief statement about how the person's work and/or activism complement WisCon's Statement of Principles. We especially welcome nominations for people of color.

Help us choose Guests of Honor for WisCon 39!

Want to nominate a Guest of Honor for #WisCon 39? Email gohnoms@wiscon.info the name of the person you want to nominate, as well as a statement about their work and/or activism complementing our Statement of Principles by March 22nd. We really do look at those statements! Please use "WisCon 39 GoH nominations" and the name of the person you're nominating in the subject line of your email, ;)

Check out the new eCube!

eCube Vol. 38, #3, is out. You can read it here. There's a lot of information in here, particularly about upcoming deadlines (Art Show's is this Friday!). We also have information about how you can help WisCon, donate items for the Tiptree Auction, sign up for programming, and submit suggestions for Guests of Honor for WisCon 39.

WisCon 38 Programming Signups are LIVE!

That's right, you can sign up now! Just head to this page on our website. If you have trouble with the link, try logging in at WisCon.info first. Even if you don't want to be a panelist, you can still express your interest in panels. This helps us to decide which panels to keep. (Sadly, we do not have room for them all.)

Party Submission Deadline approaching: March 1st!

Here's a message from our parties coordinator:

Hey folks! There are only two weeks left before we close the request page for parties. We still have space for more parties, so if you've been thinking about proposing a fun party idea now's the time! Head on over to the party request: http://wiscon.info/parties.php