As an organization that runs world-class writing workshops, Clarion West board, staff, instructors, and participants are expected to behave in accordance with our Integrity and Ethics Policy when it comes to issues of conduct online and in person, with special attention paid to issues that negatively impact underrepresented and marginalized groups. 

Integrity and Ethics Policy

Clarion West board, staff, instructors, and participants will:

  • Maintain professionalism, integrity, and civility in public life and career.
  • Avoid conflicts of interest.
  • Act responsibly toward the communities that we serve.
  • Be honest, transparent, and accountable for actions.
  • Commit to creative excellence.
  • Treat every individual with dignity and respect.
  • Correct mistakes fully, quickly, and transparently.

This policy is central to Clarion West’s mission. Any failure to abide by it could result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal or removal from the corresponding program, depending on the gravity of the infraction. 

Prohibited Activities

Types of activities that would constitute misconduct and violate our Integrity and Ethics Policy include, but are not limited to: 

  • Bullying and harassment, online or in person (for more, see our Harassment Policy).
  • Statements made publicly or privately that condone harm against others, especially members of underrepresented and marginalized groups, or perpetuate stereotypes or discrimination against such groups.
  • Plagiarized or derivative work in any medium. We consider any appropriation of another person’s work without attribution or consent to be against this policy.
    • Examples of plagiarism include:
      • The inclusion of more than a single phrase from another’s work without the use of quotation marks and acknowledgment of the source.
      • Copying, editing, and other various forms of appropriation of another person’s work without attribution or consent.
      • Commission or submission of others’ work as one’s own work.
      • The use of Large Language Models (LLMs) commonly known as Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) software (see No GenAI Use at Clarion West below).
  • Recording class or workshop sessions without advanced permission. If the course is not already recorded by Clarion West, and you require that course meetings be recorded, discuss this with the Clarion West staff in advance. 
  • Directly or indirectly acting against the organization’s Core Values: 
  • Centering & Empowering the Author
  • Equity
  • Community
  • Collaboration
  • Human Innovation & Creativity


No Generative AI Use at Clarion West 

Clarion West values human innovation and creativity and is a hub for human writers to find their voice, learn through experimentation, take risks in a safe environment, and gain experience and confidence in their own writing. 

As such, Clarion West prohibits the use of all GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Sudowrite, Copilot, and other related programs. This is applicable to students, instructors, and staff during classes and workshops, and covers every part of the process including, but not limited to, writing submitted as part of the application process, workshop story submissions, and critiques of others’ work.

In addition to the above, Clarion West participants, instructors, and staff should never enter the following information into GenAI tools:

  • Names, emails, or other identifying or confidential information about applicants, fellow students, staff, or instructors.
  • Student manuscripts or any part of their personal work.
  • Additional course materials.

At this time and for the foreseeable future, AI detection tools should not be used to evaluate another student’s work or feedback, due to concerns including copyright infringement, loss of trust within a cohort environment, and major issues around data privacy within AI platforms.

Accessibility concerns

Participants, staff, and instructors may submit accommodation requests for support or services to meet their needs. Some of these services may include AI-powered applications designed to help with note taking, recording, transcribing, captions, screen readers, and/or related needs. These tools will always be evaluated for their potential for accessibility enhancement alone, and all instructors and participants in the program will be informed in advance of the specific tools or platforms in use. To protect their privacy, students requesting services will not be identified to the class unless they have given permission to do so.   

If you require an assistive AI technology solution to enable you to participate fully in any Clarion West program, you must coordinate your usage with the staff in advance. It is best to inform staff and instructors of all additional tools or platforms being employed for accessibility use, even if you are not sure if they employ AI technology. 

Building trust: a supportive learning environment for all

We aim to build an atmosphere of trust and prepare participants for acting professionally within the industry. We expect all participants to follow our policies in good faith, and we agree to do the same.

Time and energy on the part of students, instructors, staff, and volunteers is best spent learning to craft fiction as humans. All Clarion West programs emphasize learning and experience. Encouraging human creativity means making mistakes and letting others see your mistakes. In all cases, staff and instructors will ask participants to be transparent and come to us in advance if they have questions or concerns.

We want the energy, enthusiasm, and effort related to Clarion West programs to be supportive of human voices. As such, we do not anticipate attempts to validate that all writing is human. However, If a participant, instructor, or staff member is suspected of violating this policy and there is adequate evidence that they have done so, the appropriate actions and discussions will take place quickly, up to and including removal or immediate dismissal of the participant, instructor, or staff.

It is the responsibility of every one of us to ensure that these standards are upheld to ensure community safety and connection.

Our community commitment 

Clarion West works with human writers and educators. All of our classes, workshops, videos, and other programs have been created by a team of staff, instructors, and board volunteers. To the best of our ability, we work to secure our learning platforms from automated ‘scraping.’ 

Student data collected through our platforms is not publicly accessible and will not be sold or outsourced. Staff will not enter student information into GenAI tools. Student work and personal data are strictly confidential and will not be copied or shared for any reason without explicit permission. 

Clarion West uses a variety of platforms to offer our services virtually and in person. While it is increasingly difficult to find platforms that do not have AI integrations, Clarion West staff evaluate all of our platforms for transparency, security, and compliance with privacy laws. Our team regularly reviews alternatives, risks, and best practices in data protection. Our data inventory and data policies are available upon request.

Guidelines & Disciplinary Actions For Violations of this Policy

Guidelines for board & staff

Clarion West board and staff members are expected to understand and uphold the values and mission of the organization and follow our Integrity and Ethics Policy for all work related to Clarion West.

Publicly shared information by board or staff members, such as harmful or unprofessional statements on social media, may be judged against this Policy. If members of our staff or board have any potential conflict of interest in their public life or careers, they must disclose it for review. Failure to do so would be considered a violation of this policy. 

A minor incident of poor judgment may be deemed by the executive director and/or the board of directors as inadvertent and may warrant a discussion or a written warning, with a written response from the board or staff member indicating their understanding and agreement to follow the Integrity and Ethics Policy moving forward. 

If the executive director or the board consider the grievance to be greater, or upon a second offense, the circumstances will be made known to the board of directors and a committee will review the offense. If deemed appropriate, the committee may ask the staff or board member to step down from their position or be given notice of dismissal. The committee will put forth their decision in writing and clearly stipulate the ethics violation, when the dismissal will take effect, and any other details appropriate for the situation. 

Guidelines for instructors

Clarion West instructors are selected for their excellence in the field, their subject knowledge, and their community engagement, and as such, are expected to understand and uphold the values and mission of the organization, and follow our Integrity and Ethics Policy for all work related to Clarion West.

Publicly shared information by instructors, such as harmful or unprofessional statements on social media, may be judged against this Policy. If instructors have any potential conflict of interest in their public life or careers, they must disclose it for review. Failure to do so would be considered a violation of this policy. . 

A minor incident of poor judgment may be deemed by the workshop staff, executive director, and/or the board of directors as inadvertent and may warrant a discussion or a written warning, with a written response from the instructor indicating their understanding and agreement to follow the Integrity and Ethics Policy moving forward. 

If the staff or the board consider the grievance to be greater, or upon a second offense, the workshop staff and executive director will review the offense. If deemed appropriate, the instructor will be given a written notice of dismissal, clearly stipulating the ethics violation, when the dismissal will take effect, and any other details appropriate for the situation. 

Guidelines for students

The mission of Clarion West is to support emerging and underrepresented writers, and the organization recognizes that a violation of our Integrity and Ethics Policy may sometimes be inadvertent and due to lack of experience. 

Staff and instructors are expected to help participants understand our Integrity and Ethics Policy and have them clearly stated on the website and in class materials. Workshop students are expected to read the Integrity and Ethics Policy and ask questions. 

A minor incidence of poor judgment may be deemed by the workshop staff as inadvertent and may warrant a discussion or a written warning, with a written response from the student indicating their understanding and agreement to follow the Integrity and Ethics Policy moving forward. 

If the staff considers the grievance to be greater, negatively affects the trust or environment within a class or workshop, or is a second offense, the workshop staff and executive director will review the offense. If deemed appropriate, the participant will be given a written notice of dismissal, clearly stipulating the ethics violation, when the dismissal will take effect, and any other details appropriate for the situation.

Process for reporting and reviewing ethics violations. 

If you believe that a board or staff member of the organization, an instructor, or another participant has violated the Clarion West Integrity and Ethics Policy and wish to make the organization aware of your concerns, you may reach out to the following individuals by email. You may also ask for a one-on-one meeting with any staff or board member. 


Workshop Staff:
Executive Director:
Board HR Chair:  

Please state the following in your email: 

  • The name of the person you believe has violated the Integrity and Ethics Policy.
  • describe the situation.
  • List any public information available about the incident, such as social media posts, documentation, or corresponding emails.
  • Any personal relationship you have with the individual or situation or any potential conflict of interest you may have.
  • If you wish to remain anonymous through the reporting process.
  • How to contact you if you wish to learn about the organization’s findings.

Clarion West has a Whistleblower Policy set forth to protect anyone who wishes to report a violation of the organization’s policies.

Clarion West is committed to transparency and integrity through every part of this process and will review and resolve all cases in a timely manner appropriate to the circumstance. All parties involved will be notified about the process. Those under review will be given a written notification including: 

  • A deadline for written agreements.
  • Advance notice for meeting requests and options for scheduling during a time reasonable to both parties.
  • An estimated amount of time for review and decisions.