Florida Travel Advisory
A few non-profit organizations in the state of Florida have issued travel advisories to some of the communities represented by our members who may be in attendance at the 2023 NACADA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. These advisories were issued by organizations such as the NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Equality Florida in response to legislative bills that will take effect on July 1, 2023.
NACADA takes the safety of our members and conference participants seriously. We want to ensure conference participants that as we have in years past, we will continue to have measures in place at the conference venue to focus on the safety of participants.
More specifically, the 2023 Annual Conference Planning Committee and the Executive Office Staff have the following in place so far, with additional elements still in the works:
- Security Personnel On Site: Only registered participants displaying their personal conference badge will be permitted to access conference presentations and gatherings; both stationed and roaming security personnel will be on duty at all times.
- Medical Personnel On Site: Medical personnel will be exclusively available to NACADA attendees.
- Gender-neutral Bathrooms: As in past years, NACADA requires that the conference venue offer gender-neutral bathrooms in the facility. The bathrooms will be identified explicitly for conference participants at the event.
- NACADA Resources: As the conference gets closer, resources and recommendations related to safety and identity protection will be developed and distributed by NACADA’s Diversity, Engagement, and Inclusion Education Advisory Board in collaboration with the Annual Conference Planning Committee.
- Local Resources: The NACADA Annual Conference Planning Committee and the NACADA Executive Office have been working to identify resources and initiatives in the Orlando area that align with NACADA’s mission, vision, and core values of caring, commitment, empowerment, inclusivity, integrity, professionalism, and respect. Links will continue to be added to the conference webpage and to the FAQ document for in-person attendees as they are gathered.
Further, NACADA requires all conference participants to adhere to our conference Code of Conduct. True to our core values, NACADA is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organizers.
We know that these are challenging times, and we fully respect the individual positions of each member. All are welcome and we are excited to come together for those who still wish to travel to the event to join in the in-person forum of engagement or to join through the Virtual Ticket option. If your circumstances change, we have outlined a few options on our conference registration webpage at: https://nacada.ksu.edu/Events/Annual-Conference/Registration-Information.aspx#Policies.
We deeply respect and value our members and the decisions we all make to support each other and student success. Working together is the best way forward. We are eager to connect with you all for the 2023 Annual Conference whether you choose to attend in-person or virtually. For those choosing not to attend the 2023 Annual Conference, we look forward to engaging with you through other NACADA events and services.
For more information on local initiatives and resources please visit the “Diversity & Inclusion in Orlando” website at: https://www.visitorlando.com/diversity-inclusion/