The purpose of Tartan Salsa is to offer Carnegie Mellon University's students and other members of the Pittsburgh dance community a safe, healthy, positive and productive environment to learn about and enjoy salsa, bachata, and other Afro-Latin rhythms. The goal of this Code of Conduct is to ensure the behavior of any one individual or group of individuals does not disturb the enjoyment of another individual, nor detract from the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere of the club and its activities. Harassment and sexual misconduct are fundamentally incompatible with that goal, and this Code exists in part to make clear that they will not be tolerated in any Tartan Salsa space.

Everyone is welcome to join Tartan Salsa. However, Tartan Salsa reserves the right to deny or revoke the attendance to club activities of any individual, at any time, for any reason. This action may be undertaken when an individual's presence or behavior causes significant interference with club operations or adversely affects the organization's relationship with students, guests, or the University. Tartan Salsa reserves the right to amend this Code of Conduct at any time without prior or posted notice. If you have any questions, please contact Tartan Salsa officers for assistance.

By participating in any Tartan Salsa activity, you are agreeing to abide by this Code of Conduct.

Overall Behavior

1. Tartan Salsa is open to everyone regardless of sex, age, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, handicap or disability, religion, creed, ancestry, belief, veteran status, or genetic information, and we fully adhere to CMU's Statement of Assurance. Hateful language, harassment, or intimidation will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
   
   

2. Respect each other's boundaries, physical and otherwise. Consent to one dance, or to one type of contact, is not consent to anything beyond it, and can be withdrawn at any time, for any reason, without needing to be justified.
   
   

3. Communicate if you are uncomfortable. You are never required to explain why, and you are never obligated to keep dancing, keep talking to someone, or stay in a situation that doesn't feel right. Talk to a Tartan Salsa officer or instructor if discomfort persists, if you don't feel able to address it directly with the other person, or if you'd simply rather not. For Code of Conduct concerns specifically, the club's Safety & Regulation Coordinator is your main point of contact — but any officer can help.
   
   

4. If accidental uncomfortable contact happens on your part: acknowledge it, apologize, and adjust. Repeated “accidents” with the same pattern, especially after being asked to stop, will be treated as a boundary violation rather than an accident.
   
   

5. Respect the instructors: don't disrupt or interrupt lessons unnecessarily.
   
   

6. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.
   
   

7. Look out for each other. If you see someone who seems uncomfortable, being pressured, or unable to consent (for example, due to intoxication), it's okay to check in with them, help them exit the situation, or flag it to an officer. You don't need to witness something explicitly wrong to intervene — trust your read of the room.

Harassment & Misconduct

Tartan Salsa has zero tolerance for harassment or sexual misconduct of any kind, by anyone, regardless of role (member, officer, instructor, or guest), history with the club, or intent. This applies at all club activities, in official Tartan Salsa online spaces (e.g., group chats, social media), and in interactions between members that arise from club activities.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

1. Unwelcome comments or jokes about someone's body, appearance, gender, sexuality, race, or other personal characteristics.
   
   

2. Repeatedly seeking someone's romantic or sexual attention after being told no or shown disinterest.
   
   

3. Following, cornering, or persistently seeking out a person who has indicated they want distance.
   
   

4. Deliberately using someone's wrong name, pronouns, or gender after being corrected.
   
   

5. Threatening, intimidating, or retaliatory behavior of any kind.
   
   

Misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

1. Any sexual or intimate physical contact without clear, freely given consent, including contact that starts consensually and continues after consent is withdrawn.
   
   

2. Using the physical closeness inherent to partner dancing as a pretext for sexual contact, groping, or lingering touch that goes beyond what a dance requires.
   
   

3. Sexual comments, propositions, or gestures directed at someone who has not invited them.
   
   

4. Taking or sharing photos or video of someone in a sexualized way, or without consent in a context where consent would reasonably be expected.
   
   

5. Leveraging a position within the club (e.g., officer or instructor) to pressure or coerce anyone into romantic or sexual attention.
   
   

6. Any attempt to engage in the above behaviors, even if unsuccessful.
   
   

On consent in a partner dance context: agreeing to dance with someone is consent to dance — nothing more. It is not consent to closer contact, to being dipped, lifted, or dragged, to comments about one's body, or to anything outside the dance itself. Partners are expected to keep contact appropriate to the dance being taught or social-danced, to check in when unsure, and to stop immediately if a partner tenses up, pulls back, or asks them to.

This section does not replace CMU's own policies on discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct, which continue to apply to CMU students and University-affiliated activities

Reporting & Response

If you experience or witness harassment or misconduct at a Tartan Salsa activity:

1. Report it to the Safety & Regulation Coordinator. This officer is specifically responsible for the Code of Conduct and is the club's main point of contact for incidents. You can approach them in person at an event, or reach out via the club's contact page. You do not need to have a full account or proof ready — a report that something felt wrong is enough to start with.
   
   

2. Not comfortable going to the Coordinator? Any officer can help. You're never limited to one specific person — talk to whichever officer or instructor you feel most comfortable approaching, and they will loop in the Coordinator as needed.
   
   

3. You choose how much to share. Whoever you report to will ask only what's needed to understand the situation and figure out next steps; you're never required to disclose more than you're comfortable with.
   
   

4. Confidentiality. Reports are kept as confidential as possible, with details shared only with those who need to know in order to address the situation (e.g., other officers involved in the response, or the person accused, if a response requires it). Reports will not be shared more broadly within the club.
   
   

5. No retaliation. Retaliation against anyone for reporting in good faith, or for supporting someone who reports, is itself a violation of this Code of Conduct and will be treated as seriously as the original concern.
   
   

6. What happens next. The Safety & Regulation Coordinator (or the officer you spoke with) will follow up with the reporting member, look into the situation, and take action under the Enforcement section below. Immediate safety steps will be considered where relevant — for example, separating two people at an ongoing event — even before a full review is complete.
   
   

7. If you're not comfortable bringing it to anyone in club leadership — including the Safety & Regulation Coordinator: you're not limited to an internal process. Carnegie Mellon's Community Standards and Procedures, administered by the University's Office of Community Responsibility, offers a path outside the club, including a separate Discriminatory and Sexual Misconduct Policy for concerns of that nature. This is meant as a last-resort option, not a required first step — Tartan Salsa's own officers are always the faster and more direct route when you're willing to use them.
   
   

8. If you're not sure it's “serious enough” to report: report it anyway. Whoever you tell would rather hear about something minor or ambiguous than have it go unaddressed.
   
   

Officers, and the Safety & Regulation Coordinator especially, are expected to model this Code of Conduct and to treat every report seriously, promptly, and without judgment of the person reporting.

Dance Etiquette

1. Be gentle.

2. Use your words to ask people to dance.

3. If you are dancing with a less experienced dancer, adapt your level to your partner’s.

4. Avoid aerials on the social dance floor.

5. Practice good floorcraft: be sensible in your use of space and avoid running yourself or your partner into other dancers.

6. If you plan to dance closely with other dancers, be prepared: wear deodorant, have a mint.

7. Embrace the fact that you are neither obligated nor entitled to dance with anyone in particular, at any particular time.

8. Don’t offer unsolicited criticism/advice on someone else’s dancing, even during lessons, unless a movement hurts or makes you uncomfortable.

9. A “no” to a dance needs no explanation, and asking again — or asking why — is not okay. If someone says no, thank them and move on. 

Enforcement

Violations of this Code of Conduct, and especially of the Harassment & Misconduct section, will be met with a response proportionate to the severity and pattern of the behavior. Depending on the situation, this may include, alone or in combination:

1. A private conversation with an officer clarifying expectations.

2. A formal warning.

3. Removal from a specific event.

4. Suspension from club activities for a defined period.

5. Permanent revocation of membership and attendance privileges, as provided for above.

A single serious incident (such as an instance of misconduct) may result in immediate removal or suspension without a prior warning. Officers will use their judgment, prioritizing the safety and comfort of those affected, and are not required to wait for a pattern of behavior before acting.

Amendment

Tartan Salsa reserves the right to amend this Code of Conduct at any time without prior or posted notice. If you have any questions, please contact Tartan Salsa officers for assistance.

By participating in any Tartan Salsa activity, you are agreeing to abide by this Code of Conduct.

CMU COVID Protocol

1. Follow Carnegie Mellon University's Campus Requirements.

2. Be respectful of CMU's COVID mitigation strategies, as outlined in the current campus posture.

3. Follow CMU's Visitor Protocol should it apply to you.

Find out how CMU's COVID measures might affect you.

CMU's COVID-19 policies & information are linked below:

3. • Minimum Requirements to Return to Campus

   • Latest Updates

   • COVID-related FAQs

   • Campus Service Postures

   • Visitor Protocol

   • Visitor FAQs

   • Guidance for Student Orgs

   • External Resources List

When participating in any Tartan Salsa activities, you are responsible for following all applicable Carnegie Mellon University Policies at all times.