CODE OF CONDUCT

Purpose

Pikes Peak Pickleball Association’s (PPPA) mission is to promote the sport of pickleball in El Paso County, Colorado, through education, training, and amateur competition.  To do this, we need to create environments that inspire participation and cooperation, and support a culture of diversity, equality, and inclusivity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. The definitions and code of conduct outlined below are meant to provide positive guidance toward meeting these expectations.

This policy affirms that PPPA is committed to providing an environment that is respectful, professional, safe, accepting of cultural differences, and free from harassment, inappropriate and/or abusive behavior. The policy covers Board of Director Members, Committee Members, volunteers, individual members, guests, vendors, and others who participate in and/or engage with PPPA. 

Respect and Fairness 

PPPA is committed to creating and promoting a respectful environment where all members of the organization treat one another with dignity and respect.  Furthermore, all members are expected to respect the knowledge, insight, experience, and decisions made by the PPPA governing board, including the Board and Committee directors and members regardless of their positions or length of services.

Bullying Definition 

PPPA defines bullying as behavior that is offensive, intimidating, malicious, or insulting, and includes abuse and misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate, insult, or injure the recipient. Bullying does not need to be deliberate: a person may be demonstrating bullying behavior that falls within the above definition, without intention. Whether intentional or unintentional, bullying is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, as it often causes embarrassment, fear, humiliation, or distress to an individual or a broader group of participants.

Bullying often results from a misuse of individual power derived from status or position, physical strength, force of personality, perceived injustice, and/or dissatisfaction with general decisions made by governing boards. It can also arise from collective power created by the strength of numbers. Quite often, bullies have little insight into their own behavior and how it impacts others.

Harassment Definition 

PPPA defines harassment as any unwelcomed verbal, written or physical behavior, when the unwanted conduct has the purpose or effect of either violating another person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. Harassment does not need to be deliberate; a person can be harassing another person without a specific intent to harm, and again, have little insight into how their behavior impacts others. In some situations, the harassing conduct is so serious that a single incident may constitute unacceptable behavior. At other times, the conduct may become harassment if it is repeated or sustained. 

The following list provides examples of the types of behaviors that would be considered harassment. Note that this list is not by any means exhaustive, but serves as examples only: 

• Unwelcomed physical contact or physical interaction: This may range from unnecessary touching or brushing against another’s body, physical assault, coercing sexual intercourse, physical threats, or insulting or abusive behaviors or gestures. This may also encompass invading someone’s “personal space” by standing very close to him/her where this is unnecessary. 
• Unwelcomed verbal conduct: This may include the making of remarks and comments about appearance or abilities, lewd comments, sexual advances, innuendo and banter, the making or repetition of offensive or stereotyped comments, jokes or songs, the making of threats, or the making of vulgar or demeaning comments. 
• Unwelcomed written or visual interaction: This may include sending unwelcomed, harassing and/or bullying emails to other PPPA players, Board or Committee members.  Unwelcomed notes, or pictures, as well as displaying or sending insulting, accusatory or offensive material is unacceptable. 
• Harassment, bullying and victimization of members, or by members by electronic methods: Given the degree of current reliance upon electronic means of communication it should be specifically noted that harassment, bullying, and victimization by members by electronic means, to include posting on social media platforms, is unacceptable.

Membership Code of Conduct 

This document sets the code of conduct expected of all members of the PPPA and is a condition of membership. It applies to all members, irrespective of membership type, the role they fulfill in the organization, how long they have been members or held governing positions.

All members are expected to abide by the rules set forth by PPPA’s Code of Conduct.

• Members are expected to uphold the reputation and good standing of PPPA, including its Board of Directors, Committee Members and Volunteers, both past and present.
• Members are expected to act with integrity and respect toward each other.
• Members are expected to act, support, respect, and abide by appropriate laws and policies in general to personal conduct.
• Members are expected to act in the general interest PPPA, and not use their position to unfairly benefit other organizations, their employers, themselves, or others.
• Members are expected to avoid conflicts of interest in accepting and carry out any responsibility for PPPA, and, if a conflict of interest arises (real or perceived), will disclose the conflict, and abstain or resign from their PPPA responsibilities as appropriate.
• Members may NOT make any statement on behalf of PPPA or represent PPPA in any official capacity through any public medium, including digital social media, unless authorized to do so by PPPA’s Board of Directors.
• Members may NOT photograph and/or disclose private, confidential, contractual, financial, or other information or materials to individuals or parties outside of whom they were intended.
• Members must reject and will NOT make any offer of bribery or unethical inducement. 
• Members are expected to conduct all business with PPPA Board Members, Committee Members, and other volunteers in a professional and respectful manner.

PPPA will not tolerate any wrongdoing or impropriety at any time and will take appropriate measures quickly in correcting an issue should a member fail to meet the conditions in this Code of Conduct through their behavior.

Report, Review and Appeal Process 

Anyone filing a complaint concerning a violation or suspected violation must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation.

Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false, will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

Any member that suspects a violation has occurred is required to submit electronically the following information for the purposes of review and resolution:

• Date and location of the alleged incident
• Name and contact information of the person making the notification
• Documentation available to support the allegation
• Names of any witnesses
• Actions taken to date to address the incident

Any infractions of this Code of Conduct should be reported to:  info@pikespeakpickleball.com.  The Board will respect the right to confidentiality to the extent possible consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation and to protect our members.   

A review panel, selected at the discretion of the Board of Directors, will provide written notification to the member who is suspected of having committed the violation.  The review panel will conduct an appropriate investigation that will include the opportunity for the member to respond to the alleged violation, either in writing or orally. In all cases, informal attempts will be made to resolve the issue. Following the investigation, the review panel will notify the Board of Directors of their findings and provide the members (both the complainant and the accused), in writing of the decision and any sanctions resulting from the findings.

Any member found to have violated the Code of Conduct may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including temporary suspension or full termination of membership, depending on the offense.  Violators may also be subject to legal action in accordance with applicable law and regulations. 

Suspending a member will:

• Change the membership status to ‘Suspended’. Any prepaid dues will be forfeited.
• Remove them from the PPPA member directory, but keep an archive of contact information, the reason for suspension, and the suspension period.

A suspended member can re-apply for active status ONLY AFTER their suspension period has ended.  

Any member may appeal the decision of the review panel.  Appeal must be submitted electronically to cocviolations@pikespeakpickleball.com and specifically address the following:

• Were the proper facts and criteria brought to bear on the decision?
• Were improper or extraneous facts or criteria brought to bear that substantially affected the decision to the detriment of the member?
• Were there any procedural irregularities that substantially affected the outcome of the matter to the detriment of the member?
• Given the proper facts, criteria, and procedures, was the decision one that a person in the position of the decision-maker might reasonably have made?

The appeal may not be made based on general dissatisfaction with the decision of the association, or review panel having made the decision.

An appeal and all related materials or documents must be submitted electronically within 30 calendar days of the review panel’s notification of findings. A delay in filing an appeal may, taking all circumstances into account, constitute grounds for its rejection.

The original review panel (or their designated representatives if the original members of the review panel are no longer available) may remand the matter for further consideration to an alternate review panel. The alternate review panel may attempt to resolve the matter informally, provide a decision on the appeal, or refer the appeal, or any issue therein, to the Board of Directors. Should the matter be resolved informally or decided by appeal at any level, the reviewing panel will notify the member (and the party against whose decision the appeal has been filed) in writing of the disposition made of the appeal.

Normally no more than 30 calendar days should elapse between the filing of the appeal and the disposition by the review panel. The disposition of the appeal shall be final and not subject to further appeal.

Terminated memberships will be treated the same as suspended memberships, however, reinstatement will require the member to meet directly with the Board of Directors to answer specific questions pertaining to the cause for termination. Depending on the violation, terminated members may be prohibited from seeking membership for life.