New APA Rules of Conduct Released

This December, the Board of Directors approved new Rules of Conduct outlining APA's anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policy and a process for acting on policy violations. The Rules will apply to all participants (members and non-members) in all association activities, and further to the Board of Directors and AICP Commission when acting in their capacity as leaders, i.e., when they are attending any event as a representative of APA or AICP, and when they are speaking on behalf of APA or AICP.

With this approval, the following updates occurred:

• Appointment of a new Welcoming Environment Committee, which is the standing committee responsible for reviewing complaints made under the new Rules.

• Updated policies and procedures related to the National Planning Conference and onboarding of new volunteer leaders;
• An annual sexual harassment and discrimination training requirement for all volunteer leaders; and
• A series of online resources, including educational materials, diagrams to help members navigate new and existing processes, and a list of curated websites providing support to victims of sexual harassment and discrimination.

Additional details and the resources mentioned above can be found on our website.

The Welcoming Environment project was launched in 2023 under the leadership of Task Force Chair Wendy Moeller, FAICP, and Board members Silvia Vargas, FAICP, and Allison Mouch, AICP. Now that the Rules have been published, APA will continue to collaborate with AICP and APA chapters, divisions, and student groups to implement the new policies and processes and make continual improvements.