Code of Conduct & Overnight Safety Rules

I will treat all participants, organizers, mentors, judges, sponsors, SMSU staff, and venue staff with respect. Southwest MN Hacks is a welcoming environment regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital or family status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Discriminatory language and conduct are not permitted.

Southwest MN Hacks has zero tolerance for harassment. Harassment includes unwelcome verbal, physical, or visual conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Examples include sexual harassment, bullying, intimidation, sustained disruption of sessions, unwanted physical contact, intrusive photography or recording, and stalking.

Harassment-related concerns must be reported to event organizers, SMSU Public Safety, and SMSU's Title IX office. Southwest MN Hacks will respond to reports in accordance with its incident response procedures.

Alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, vaping, cannabis, and other controlled substances are prohibited at the event. Possession, use, or attending while impaired is grounds for immediate removal.

Firearms, explosives, and other weapons are prohibited at the venue in accordance with SMSU campus policy. This prohibition includes participants who may otherwise hold a carry permit.

I will remain in event areas during the overnight period and will not roam unaccompanied through the rest of the building or campus. After the building is secured, re-entry to the venue is only through the monitored entrance designated by the organizers, and only after signing back in.

Quiet hours are observed approximately from midnight to 6:00 AM. During quiet hours, audio must be played through headphones, and conversation should be kept low in and near rest areas. I will follow direction from organizers, SMSU staff, and SMSU Public Safety at all times.

Sleeping is permitted only in designated rest areas. Rest area assignments, supervision, and access control will follow the final safety plan approved by Southwest MN Hacks and SMSU Public Safety.

Photography, video recording, and audio recording in or of rest areas are not permitted at any time. I will not enter a rest area that has not been designated for me, and I will respect any access restrictions posted or communicated by organizers.

Areas of the SMSU campus that are not part of the event footprint are off-limits unless I am invited or escorted by an organizer or SMSU staff. This includes custodial and mechanical spaces, locked offices, kitchen areas not designated for participant use, and any room marked as restricted.

I will treat the venue, its furnishings, and the property of others with care. I will not damage, deface, or modify property, and I will clean up after myself in food and work areas. Hardware and personal items I bring to the event remain my responsibility.

If I feel unwell, am injured, witness an incident, or see something unsafe, I will notify an organizer immediately. In a life-threatening emergency, I or any participant should call 911 directly and then notify an organizer.

I will cooperate fully with organizers, SMSU staff, and SMSU Public Safety. In the event of a fire alarm or evacuation order, I will exit immediately through the nearest safe route and follow the directions given on-site.

Southwest MN Hacks organizers and SMSU Public Safety have the authority to enforce this Code. Depending on the nature and severity of a violation, consequences may include a warning, restriction of participation, disqualification from prizes and judging, removal from the event without refund, exclusion from future Southwest MN Hacks events, and referral to SMSU Public Safety or local law enforcement.

For a minor participant who is removed from the event, the parent or guardian or an authorized adult listed at registration will be required to pick up the minor promptly, including at any hour during the overnight period.

Concerns may be reported to any organizer in person or by text or call to the organizer numbers posted at registration. Concerns involving safety or emergencies must be reported directly to SMSU Public Safety using the contact information posted at the venue. Concerns related to sex- or gender-based misconduct may also be reported through SMSU's Title IX office.