Update to the AAS Code of Ethics
Kelsey Johnson University of Virginia
Over the last several months, the AAS Board of Trustees and Ethics Working Group have received many thoughtful and principled comments on the circumstances in which harassment and/or bullying should be considered “professional” misconduct. After careful consideration of the broad array of responses to the request for comment, the Board of Trustees has taken the position that harassment and bullying in a professional setting constitute forms of professional misconduct because they have a direct impact on the professional activities and career trajectories of the victims. Our community has been diminished by the loss of talented, creative, and innovative people who have left the field, changed their professional trajectories, or suffered a loss productively as a result of harassment and bullying.
The Board of Trustees has updated the AAS Code of Ethics accordingly. This policy revision is aligned with the recommendations of the most recent Decadal Survey and is effective immediately.