MPIRO POLICY

Values

Established in 2017, MPIRO’s purpose is to promote international relations among graduate and postgraduate students. We do this by providing useful networking opportunities, academic assistance, career resources, and social events to students and faculty.

Disclaimer - Podcast

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in each episode are the speakers’ own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Melbourne, the Graduate Student Association, or that of the MPIRO Club Committee as a whole. The material and information presented here is for general information and entertainment purposes only.

The names of the aforementioned bodies and all forms and abbreviations are the property of their owners, and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.

The information contained on the Podcast’s platforms (aka. Spotify, the MPIRO Website, Soundcloud, etc.) is for general information purposes only. The research is collated and is presented by The MPIRO Podcast and while we endeavour to keep the research up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly, and the same goes for any audio-playback platforms. However, MPIRO takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, relevant platforms being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control. We try our best, but we are still volunteers after all. If you do notice any technical issues, please let someone on the committee know so we can try to rectify the situation.

Copyright - Podcast

Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than the following:

We welcome you to share and play the podcast and share with others for personal use or self-promotion (we value this very highly!); please acknowledge the MPIRO Podcast Team as the owner of the material. You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content, nor publish deliberately copied MPIRO works.

For reasons pertaining to the club’s values and the podcast’s objectives, MPIRO reserves the exclusive right to publish, reproduce, and/or perform the podcast’s work as the owner of the recorded work. While the club remains affiliated to the Graduate Student Association (GSA) at the University of Melbourne, the work can be requisitioned by either the Association or the University for several reasons including, but not limited to:

Public liability or Defamation,
Evidence pending a criminal investigation, and/or
Other penalties pertaining to University or GSA regulations.

Health & Safety

Health and Safety is of the utmost importance at MPIRO, and we aim to ensure it is provided throughout the club and across the broader community. Members and the public can anticipate the potential for risks at:

Events MPIRO hosts (both in-person and online),
Club meetings, held both within the committee and with other members,
Sessions developing MPIRO Projects, such as podcast recording or workshops,
Excursions organised by MPIRO, and
Other relevant activities.

To help mitigate risks, MPIRO is committed to acknowledging and implementing preventative measures, including:

Insuring all of our events with the GSA,
Having committee members or other members with First Aid present,
Having an alcohol and food safety plan prepared,
Prioritising COVID-safe measures,
Having emergency plans prepared, and
All incident reports filed effectively within our system for future prevention planning.

While we make this commitment as a committee and a club, we ask that our members and the general public who wish to engage in our activities make a reasonable effort to observe health and safety recommendations and exercise due diligence. If for any reason a club member or member of the general public behaves recklessly, with malintent or without due care to the club or its other members, the committee has the right to reprimand the individual/group accordingly. This may include:

Warning issued,
Being written up as reference to the GSA, or
Being permanently banned from the club.

If at any point an individual feels unsafe, they have every right to reach us and we will gladly do what we can to help.

Questions? Get in touch!

Whether you are a student, professor, professional or recruiter who thinks we can help, feel free to send us a message or shoot us an email.

Email

social media

Want to become a member?

Looking to Volunteer?

Code of Conduct

MPIRO Committee members are obliged to abide by the club’s code of conduct, to act in all due fairness and equality, to uphold all the club’s values, and to conduct all activities at MPIRO with due responsibility and duty of care. This includes how the committee conducts its activities, project operations, voting procedures and any other administration. The MPIRO Committee shall not engage in nor tolerate acts of discrimination, harrassment or violence, and will do everything in their power to extend this protection across the club.

Any works created by MPIRO, or sanctioned, accredited, or promoted by MPIRO, shall prioritise the club’s values while adhering to members’ right to free speech, as expressed in articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Each Official MPIRO Project will be lead by a Committee Member/s and will have their own respective code of conduct, which may outline how the project:

Monitors and regulates speech/written work of contributors,
Restricts or regulates media coverage of the club’s own materials, and
Requires material to be approved before it may be published.

MPIRO retains the right to limit freedom of expression if it engages in the following:

Discrimination (i.e. on the basis of race, sex, gender, culture, political affiliation or otherwise),
Derogation (i.e. actively belittling other people, club members or the committee),
Disrespecting the rights and reputations of others (e.g. Holocaust Denialism),
Incitement of crime, violence, mass panic or destruction of health and safety,
Does not provide forewarning for what may be sensitive to particular audiences (e.g. presenting explicit information without forewarning to underage audiences, or failure to respect the passing of elders in the Indigenous Community).

With regards to engagement with Club Members, External Parties and Guests (i.e. guest speakers on podcast episodes or at events), MPIRO will uphold the following obligations:

Any request or opportunity for the guest to promote some of their own work/s, if sought and within reason.
Respect the views and perspectives of the guest, insofar as they are compliant with the previous clause, as their insight into the topic of their content is relevant to the broader international relations research area at hand,
Present a carefully researched, critical perspective on behalf of MPIRO’s research objectives.

Grievances & Complaints

Sometimes, things are not as smooth sailing as they ought to be, and at MPIRO we have a vested interest in the wellbeing of our members and the broader community we contribute to. We welcome any complaints relating to the organisation, the group’s operations, or management conduct which may have an adverse effect on others and we would aim to rectify these where possible. If for any reason there is an issue MPIRO has not been made aware of, we ask that we be informed as soon as possible. It can be achieved via the following:

Issues or complaints involving a committee member are encouraged to be forwarded to the club President. Alternatively, reaching out to either of the other two executives (Secretary or Treasurer) is also recommended.
Issues or complaints that do not involve a committee member specifically, but are of a more sensitive nature, are encouraged to be forwarded to the aforementioned channels (through an Executive).
Issues or complaints that do not involve a committee member, and are neither particularly sensitive, are encouraged to be forwarded to the administrative email address, admin@mpiro.org.

External Parties and Guests must acknowledge that once published, the content they have contributed to MPIRO projects will be made publicly available. However, if for any reason the content needs to be altered or ‘taken down’ (i.e. for personal reasons), please reach out to us at admin@mpiro.org.

Should the content only need minor alterations, the Committee Member in charge of the project has the power to make that change.
Should the content require more substantial alteration or complete removal, an executive decision is required (i.e. decision by the President, Treasurer, or Secretary).

A request to have something taken down will not be unreasonably denied.

For our Privacy Policy, please see here.