ACF Player Ban Policy
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:20 pm
ACF would like to make the community aware of its new player ban policy, spelled out in rule 14 here and copied below.
ACF Eligibility Rules wrote:ACF reserves the right to ban players from ACF tournaments for misconduct. Such bans will render a player ineligible to compete even if they would otherwise be eligible. Player bans may be enacted for a temporary period of time, or may be permanent, depending on the offense (see below).
ACF defines two types of misconduct that can lead to a ban: minor misconduct and major misconduct. A player’s first instance of minor misconduct will result in a warning from ACF; subsequent instances will result in at least a one-year ban from playing in ACF tournaments. A player’s first instance of major misconduct will result in at least a one-year ban from playing in ACF tournaments; subsequent instances will result in a permanent ban from playing in ACF tournaments. These definitions are distinct from the definitions of “minor” and “severe” misconduct in the ACF gameplay rules.
Examples of minor misconduct include, but are not limited to: plagiarism, disorderly conduct during match play, intimidation of game or tournament officials, verbal harassment.
Examples of major misconduct include, but are not limited to: cheating or conspiring to cheat at a quizbowl tournament, violent conduct during a tournament, sexual harassment, sexual assault.
Misconduct does not need to occur at an ACF tournament for ACF to take action on it.
Once a ban has been issued, ACF will contact the parties necessary to implement the ban, potentially including, but not limited to, the subject of the ban, other quizbowl organizations such as NAQT, tournament hosts, and the broader quizbowl community.