Code of Conduct, Terms, Conditions, & Policies

Apogaea Event Code of Conduct

Overview & Guiding Principles

Apogaea, Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts. The organization is composed of a nine-member board of directors, four officers, a  Colorado Burning Man Regional Representative, and Ignition, the team of voting members governing the nonprofit. The Apogaea, Inc. bylaws define how it is managed and run. 

Apogaea, Inc. produces the annual Apogaea event, an official Burning Man Regional event for Colorado each June. The event and its planning are guided by the 10 Principles of Burning Man. These values inform how we show up, make decisions, and care for one another.

Apogaea’s Mission Statement: Maintain a community that cultivates interest in and pursuit of art, music, and artistic expression.

Apogaea strives to foster community and host events that support our ethos: to encourage a culture of creativity, self-expression, and radical inclusion. This Code of Conduct is designed to help ensure a reasonably safe, respectful, and fun environment for everyone involved.

Apogaea expects all attendees and volunteers to create and maintain a space that is welcoming and inclusive for all ticketed participants. Discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, or religion is not tolerated.

Participation in this community event is open to all ticketed attendees; however, the board of directors can revoke invitations if a participant fails to respect other attendees or behaves in a way that endangers other participants, the event, or the broader community. 

Apogaea is a private event, and the Board of Directors works to support a safer and aligned community by thoughtfully determining participation, including the ability to decline or revoke access.

This code of conduct is applicable to all Apogaea-sponsored events.

Base Code of Conduct

Apogaea is a member of the Colorado Safer Spaces Coalition (CSSC), a non-profit organization that provides a base code of conduct for all 10-principled events in Colorado, including Elsewhence, Colorado Burnal Equinox, Denver DeCOmp, and Boulder Decomp. All participants of Apogaea are expected to adhere to the CSSC base code of conduct. The CSSC base code of conduct can be found here: (insert link)

Participation & Event Policies

Minors at Apogaea

  • All participants at Apogaea are required to wear wristbands throughout the duration of the event. Parents or guardians are responsible for ensuring that all minors under the age of 18 wear wristbands at all times. 
  • Upon arrival at Gate, the Parent or Guardian must complete the “Tiny Human Form” for each child in their care, under the age of 18. 
  • Children aged 12 and under must remain under the direct supervision and control of a responsible adult at all times.
  • It is required that any minor (under the age of 18) at Apogaea be able to find and identify their legal guardian at all times.

DMV and ADA Vehicle Policy

Mutant Vehicles – An Art Car, or Mutant Vehicle, is a vehicle that has been radically, stunningly and safely modified that the community has the opportunity to visit and/or ride in during the event. Mutant vehicles must meet certain standards of structural and mechanical integrity, be well lit at night, and respect event quiet hours. Drivers must be sober and obey the 5mph speed limit. Please email [email protected] with further inquiries.

ADA Vehicles – Any driver displaying government-issued ADA tags is welcome to use their vehicle as their method of transportation around Apogaea (at 5 mph, limiting driving as much as possible). If you do not have ADA tags but need a vehicle for mobility, please register here and pick up a driving permit at DICE during the event. Please note Accessibility Parking spaces for approved vehicles are available near most porta-potties. Drivers must be sober and obey the 5mph speed limit. Please email [email protected] or [email protected] with further inquiries.

Reporting Code of Conduct Violations

Apogaea strives to keep our event reasonably safe. If you witness a violation of the Code of Conduct or feel unsafe at any point ON SITE, please contact: Rangers (wearing a khaki Ranger shirt), BAMF or DICE. (All of these services are in the burn field. Anyone with a radio can also help you reach the right people). If you would like to report a conduct violation or concern OFF SITE, please email [email protected] and a representative will connect you promptly. Apogaea will refer reports of consent violations to Colorado Safer Spaces Coalition. Participants can directly report these to [email protected]

Event(s) Eviction Policy

Apogaea wishes for you to be free to create art and interact with others. Although we try to have as few rules as possible, we must have some. If you witness a violation of any of these rules, feel free to correct the situation yourself if possible. If you do not feel comfortable with that, please inform one of the Rangers (wearing a tan Ranger shirt) or someone in the Info Booth.

The following offenses will get you removed from the event:

  • No ticket/wristband (all participants, no exceptions)
  • Helping someone sneak into the event
  • Swimming or wading in water features
  • Trespassing in gas well areas
  • Failure of parents to ensure minors under the age of 18 wear wristbands or file “Tiny Human Tracking Form” with Rangers
  • Failing to ensure that a child for which you are responsible has proper adult supervision at all times
  • Children 12 and under must under the direct control of a responsible adult at all times
  • It is required that any minor (under the age of 18) at Apogaea be able to find and identify their legal guardian at all times
  • Allowing a minor (under the age of 18) for whom you are responsible for to violate any of the stated event rules and regulations
  • Photographing another participant without their consent or taking photos/video for commercial purposes
  • Vending or commerce of any kind
  • Failing to respect boundaries
  • Failing to adhere to the principles of consent. Consent is reached when someone agrees, gives permission, or says “yes” to sexual activity or touching with other persons. Participants must be free to say “yes” or “no” or stop the activity at any point. A person cannot consent to sex if they are incapacitated by drugs or alcohol.
  • Unsafe driving
  • Malicious destruction of property
  • Possession of weapons
  • Possession of alcohol if under 21
  • Serving alcohol to someone under 21
  • Intoxicated behavior
  • Disrespect of the land such as digging, felling trees or limbs, etc.
  • Violating any of the fire rules

List of Some Behaviors That Can Result in Event Eviction and Future Disinvitation

While Radical Inclusion is one of of the 10 Principles of Burning Man and one Apogaea especially incorporates into our culture of belonging, Communal Effort, another Principle, asks us to protect our social networks, property, and works of art. Our code of conduct helps provide this framework. In extreme cases, the Apogaea Board of Directors may have to evict and disinvite participants who put the safety of other participants or event at risk. Some of the behaviors that can lead to eviction and future disinvitation are below:

  • Any non-consensual touch or behavior (see CSSC Base Code of Conduct for more detail)
  • Wristband or ticket violation
  • Assisting a non-ticketed person in fraudulently entering the event 
  • Minor attendee violation  (see below for more detail)
  • Vending or commerce of any kind
  • Unsafe operation of any vehicle
  • DMV, bike, UTV, golf cart violations – all must go no more than 5mph (see below for more detail)
  • Handheld laser violation (see below for more detail)
  • Damage to event property, land, or art
  • Swimming, wading or fishing in water features, littering in water, trespassing in gas well areas, disrespect of the land such as digging, felling trees or limbs, harassing wildlife
  • Possession and/or the serving of alcohol to someone under 21
  • Possession of weapons
  • Possession of pets / animals (see below for more detail)
  • Intoxicated behavior that endangers yourself or others
  • Any non-consensual violent behavior
  • Violating any of Apogaea’s policies, including Fire, Lasers, DMV, Consent, Anti-Retaliation, Prohibited Content or any other policies
  • Repeated strain on Apogaea resources
  • Any behavior that endangers Apogaea’s ability to hold the annual regional event and other community events.

In the event that a participant is evicted from the event, the participant must leave the premises immediately.  

Laser Policy

Handheld lasers are NOT ALLOWED!
Stationary lasers MUST be registered with placement before the event!

Handheld lasers are not allowed at Apogaea under any circumstances. This is a zero-tolerance policy. At Burning Man 2014, a Ranger was permanently blinded in one eye and partially blinded in the other due to the irresponsible use of handheld lasers. To prevent similar incidents, handheld lasers are completely banned from our event.  If you plan to bring a stationary laser to Apogaea, it must be registered prior to the event, and inspected onsite.

  • NO HANDHELD LASERS are permitted at Apogaea.
  • All lasers must be registered and inspected. Sign up for your inspection time at BAMF. 
  • All lasers must be clearly labeled with class and output power. 
  • Class 3 and up lasers must be ILDA controlled with defined zones, no “auto mode” 
  • Beams must be aimed well above eye level and terminate in a safe location such as the side of a mountain 
  • Lasers must be mounted 7 ft or above 
  • Lasers must terminate in a safe location such as the side of a mountain 
  • Functional emergency stop (E-stop) must be within reach of operators and clearly marked and tested before every show.
  • Operators must have sufficient laser safety knowledge to employ best practices in design, setup, shutdown and operation of outdoor laser systems. 
  • Operators must continually monitor lasers during use.

Pets, Animals & Service Animals

Absolutely no animals or pets are allowed at Apogaea, unless the animal is registered for service.  In these cases, the following terms & conditions apply:

  • Service animals are allowed if trained to perform tasks to aid a person with a disability.
  • Therapy or crime prevention animals do not qualify as service animals and are not protected under the ADA. 
  • Service animals must be under handler control at all times and the handler must take effective measures to control them.
  • Service animals’ waste must be removed from the ground immediately and removed from the site by the owner.
  • Service animals cannot be a safety issue or act aggressively.
  • Service animals or handlers who break any of these ADA standards may be asked to leave the event.

Warnings and Disinvitation/Watch List Policy

Members of the Apogaea community may receive a formal warning letter or a formal letter asking them not to attend future events from the Apogaea Board of Directors. Individuals may be asked not to attend some or all Apogaea events, or asked not to volunteer, in some or all roles, with Apogaea. This may result if someone:

  • Has been the subject of a pattern of reports of violating the Code of Conduct or other safety policies that endanger the event or its participants’ safety;
  • Has any well-substantiated report of a sufficiently problematic violation of the Code of Conduct or other policies; and/or
  • Continues problematic behavior after receiving a Warning from Apogaea about such behavior.

How does it work when people are disinvited, and added to the watch list?

  • Can be instituted for one year or permanently.
  • One-year terms will be reviewed by the Board of Directors or an appointed Conduct Committee annually and renewed if necessary.

Appeals Process

  • Individuals can appeal directly with the Board.
  • Appeals will be handled at the next scheduled Board meeting.
  • Only one appeal request per individual will be heard per year.

Publishing

The Board will determine if and how to make any announcement, if such announcement would benefit the Apogaea community or other communities. This will be determined on a case by case basis.

Informing Individuals Of Their Status

  • When a report has been made about an individual, they will be informed of the outcome of that report, including any actions taken.
  • In the absence of an official report, the individual will be informed of the results of any investigation and resulting actions when such investigation completes. The investigation will be managed by the Board of Directors.

Inquiries About Warned/Watch-Listed Individuals

Inquiries about individuals can be made to the Board of Directors, and will be handled on a case by case basis.

Volunteering

Apogaea reserves the right to prevent someone from volunteering in particular capacities or any capacity.

Restraining Orders

If two individuals who wish to attend an event have restraining orders in place, it is up to the individuals to follow the orders by either not attending the event, having one individual attend the event and not the other individual, or maintaining the prescribed distance between one another at the event. In the case where a restraining order is violated at an event, this will be referred to local law enforcement.

Base Code of Conduct

Colorado Safer Spaces Coalition
Updated March 2, 2026
Revision 2.0
OFFICIAL VERSION

This is the minimum that we will ask members of the Colorado Safer Spaces Coalition to enforce at their events and in their spaces. Events are invited to add clauses that are more restrictive for their own events, if desired. Events are also invited to share those changes with the CSSC for consideration in this baseline document. This is a living document.

Basic Code of Conduct

  • Participants are responsible for their own behavior, and encouraged to help the community police itself against bad actors and predators.
  • Participants are strongly encouraged to report any incident involving threatening or non-consensual behavior of any kind (e.g. abuse, unwanted touching, dosing, intimidation, coercion, racism, hate speech, etc.) to a Ranger, door personnel or Event Producer, or (if outside of an event) by emailing CSSC at [email protected].
  • Participants must comply with the principle of Consent. Consent regarding another person’s body or property is reached when someone clearly agrees, gives permission, or gives an engaged “Yes” to an activity or physical contact with another. Participants must respect others’ autonomy and belongings, and stop an activity or physical contact with another if that person says “No” or a voluntary or non-coerced “Yes” is not possible. Voluntary consent cannot be obtained from:
    • Intoxicated, impaired, sleeping, or unconscious people
    • Minors (unless engaged in lawful activity within the state of the event)
    • Coerced people, including people subject to power differentials

How Does Colorado Safer Spaces Coalition Define “Harm?”

  • CSSC members’ ultimate goal is to support, to the best of our ability, the utmost reduction-of-harm for all participants. While it is not possible to guarantee these protections, we aim to reduce potential harm. When safety is in question, these concepts are to be applied equally to all participants, including those in positions of leadership, volunteer roles, sponsorship, and collaborators.
  • We define harm as a nested concept: Harm may be INTENDED, PERCEIVED, or a combination of BOTH.
  • Circumstances where harm is malicious and intended will never be tolerated in CSSC members’ public forums or events, and may be grounds for immediate removal and/or permanent banning from future CSSC members’ spaces and events, and beyond.
  • Circumstances where harm was not intended, but that violate our ethos of respect for the autonomy and safety of those around us and/or the repute of the hosting organization, may be grounds for immediate removal and/or permanent banning from future CSSC members’ spaces.
  • CSSC member events strive to foster a system of consistent opportunity for individuals causing harm to receive: education, restorative conversations, opportunity to address harms, and reentry to community.

Behaviors Likely Leading to Immediate Removal and/or Ban from Current or Future Events

  • Consent violations of an aggressive, abusive, coercive, or sexual nature. This includes any kind of physical contact with the body/outerwear of another without the consent of the other.
  • Unlawful sexual conduct: any form of conviction or behavior related to nonconsensual sexual conduct (including the concept that minors cannot consent), possession of sexual materials relating to minors, or registry on the sex offender list of any state.
  • Stalking or harassment. This includes continuing to follow or engage with someone after they have asked for the other person to stop doing so.
  • Endangering others. This includes anything that will or could intentionally put others in physical danger. Do not bring items to an event that could endanger others, this includes, but is not limited to, firearms, explosives, fireworks and unsafe art. Endangering others also includes non-consensual intoxication (aka dosing, drugging and failing to disclose the contents or ingredients of food or drink).
  • Endangering others due to your intoxication or impairment level.
  • Participants must have a valid ticket registered in their name (if applicable), and present legal identification prior to entry into an event space.
  • Possession of or providing alcohol or other age-restricted activities or items to or by underaged participants.
  • Failing to comply with the requests of the Event Production Team, Rangers, and/or private security staff, or creating unreasonable burden on the safety resources of the event will subject participants to immediate removal from the event.
  • You will be asked to leave a CSSC member event and may be permanently banned from regional 10 principle events if a restraining order has been issued by a court against you, whether or not the protected party will be in attendance.
  • Aiding a person in gaining entry by any means other than purchasing a ticket and presenting a legal ID will subject participants to immediate removal from the event.
  • If a participant is asked to leave or is evicted from an event, and removal of their personal property is not possible at that time, or that person is unsafe to remain in the event, the evicted person’s property will be made available to them after the event is over and/or other participants have left the property.
  • Destruction, use or taking the property of another without clear permission from the owner of that property.
  • Failure to provide proper adult supervision or allowing a minor for whom you are responsible to violate any of the stated rules and regulations.

Behaviors Leading to Removal at the Discretion of Production

  • Failure to respect others’ boundaries that are not of a physically aggressive or sexual nature.
  • Any expression, action, creation, activity or interaction that promotes othering, hatred or violence against any marginalized individuals or groups.
  • Photographing or videoing other participants without their consent. This also includes the public release of photography/videography taken without the consent of the individual to post the images.
  • Unsafe biking or driving, this includes, but is not limited to, event production vehicles, art cars, bikes, golf carts and failure to comply with any DMV regulations.
  • Damaging the structures, art, facilities, property, and land, including flora and fauna: digging, felling trees or limbs, movement of or damage to park infrastructure, or interference with wildlife.
  • Failing to follow posted warnings or requests from artists regarding interactions with art, including climbing or defacing art that is not intended for that purpose.
  • Failure to comply with CSSC policies that include, but are not limited to, Sound, Laser, Fire, Drone, and Service Animal policies.
  • Vending or commerce of any kind that is not explicitly invited by the event leadership team.
  • Flagrantly ignoring laws that protect against harm to the event or others.
  • This list is not exhaustive, and may be expanded by individual events at their discretion.

The Ten Principles

CSSC members are committed to the safety of participants, volunteers, and staff. We believe the 10 Principles of Burning Man already provide a strong framework for this ethos. We also hope to participate in a growing standard of communication, exchange of ideas, education and artist support. With this in mind, we propose the reinterpretation and embodiment of several of the Burning Man Principles and the social contracts they guide: Radical Accountability, Consent.

Principle Zero: Radical Accountability Agreement

Accountability means that each and every participant is totally and completely accountable for their own actions. This encompasses actions in all states of being, including ones that may render us in depleted, impaired or judgment-altered states, and the subsequent choices thereafter. This means that as a community we each individually strive to be self-moderating to the same high standard of behavior of respect and support for one another without personal bias. We are, collectively and individually, committed to transparently providing the necessary resources to achieve this goal.

11th Principle: Consent

The CSSC community values the transformative experience of consensual touch, play, and interaction by hearing and honoring the informed consent (or lack thereof) of those we interact with. We believe that consent plays a vital part in our connectivity and community. Our vision is that all parties feel empowered to participate as they feel comfortable, by “opting in” from a place of engagement and autonomy.

Consent is appropriate in every interaction. However, the CSSC is focused on consent violations in the following types of interactions:

  • Touch: Just because you hugged someone yesterday doesn’t mean you can surprise them with a hug today. “Surprise contact” isn’t always wanted, even if it’s affectionate.
  • Kink: Consent for one thing isn’t consent for another. If I said you can spank me, that doesn’t give you permission to grope me.
  • Interaction: A person should not be forced to continue talking with, playing with, or interacting with an individual when they have chosen to terminate the interaction. This may include cornering a person and physically blocking their ability to exit the conversation.
  • Sex: Consent can be revoked once it’s been given.
  • Gifts: Disclose what is in your gifts, even if it’s essential oils. Some people have sensitivities.
  • Food, Drink, and Smoke: Disclose the ingredients of all consumable gifts, one person’s innocuous ingredient can be someone else’s allergy. Possession or providing of alcohol or other age-restricted items or experiences to under-age participants is NEVER allowable.
  • Photography: Ask before taking pictures. Remember consent to take a picture is NOT consent to post it online.

Consent can be communicated in many ways. CSSC Member events are not in a position to ultimately define consent in all circumstances. However, by choosing to attend CSSC member events, you are agreeing to follow the standards laid out in the CSSC Code of Conduct, and the event’s specific additions to the CSSC Code of Conduct. Just remember, consent is FRIES!

  • Freely Given
  • Revocable
  • Informed
  • Engaged
  • Specific

At any event with a CSSC member, much of the time the people around you will be new to you. This blend of new friends and ideas from all over the world makes our community beautiful, and also necessitates an additional level of respect and caution while interacting with new-to-you friends. Communication to the point of over-communication is key. All participants should seek to continually give and receive consent. This consent is for any and all activities and ought to be clear. Hoping others understand you is not enough, be clear about what you are and are not consenting to. Failing to respect another participant’s boundaries may subject you to removal from the event. If for any reason you cannot ask first, do not pursue this activity.

If for any reason the person with whom you are communicating cannot give clear, voluntary, unimpaired consent, do not pursue that activity. This includes taking photos or videos from afar, dancing with new friends in loud spaces, giving food or drinks, following participants from location to location, hugging, etc.

CSSC recognizes that the ability to provide consent in states of intoxication may vary by individual. However, if there is any reasonable doubt about a person’s ability to provide consent then it should be assumed that consent cannot be provided.

Consent is a mind-set of respecting others that virtually applies to anything at all times while at a CSSC Member’s event.

Seeking Support from CSSC

If at any point you need support for yourself or another participant:

If you are at an official event: seek help from Rangers, Consent volunteers, event producers, or other staff. They will set a response in action, including reporting to CSSC, if they are a Member.

Outside of a Member event: CSSC Members strive to provide year-round resources to our community. Should you at any point feel unsafe, witness unsafe or troubling behavior, or need support in resolving/reporting a conflict or consent violation, please reach out by emailing [email protected].

Reporting

The best way to help keep the community at large safe is to file an official report with CSSC about what happened to you, whenever you feel comfortable to talk about it. A team of compassionate and supportive reviewers will be assigned to your case and will meet you wherever you feel comfortable, whether at home, on the phone, or over Zoom. Receiving your report is the first step in a coordinated effort to determine what steps, if any, are necessary for the reported-against party to regain the trust of the community and be invited to participate in CSSC Member events (and beyond).

CSSC Takes Reports

  • About behaviors that are likely to pose a threat to the safety or autonomy of participants at future events or the community at large.
  • Directly from the harmed party, only. In the event that the harmed party is unable to report (such as due to a loss of memory), CSSC will take initial reports from eye witnesses.
  • Whether or not law enforcement intervention has been requested.
  • Whether or not a crime or civil wrong has been committed.
  • Even if the intention is to just place a reported-against party on the radar of event producers.

CSSC Does Not

  • Police bad relationship break-ups or interpersonal situations that do not pose a threat to the general safety of participants.
  • Require the reporting party to file a police report or take other legal action.
  • Require that reporting parties meet any specific standard of proof (including proof “beyond a reasonable doubt”).
  • Breach your confidentiality without consent.
  • Police “thought crimes.”
  • Assist in filing civil, criminal, or other legal action, including police reports, insurance claims, or medical information.
  • Provide legal advice, medical assistance, or psychological counseling.
  • Provide any form of insurance or guarantee of safety at events either to individuals or organizations.
  • Provide any guarantee that any specific form of action(s) will be taken based upon a given report.
  • Provide events, community members, or participants with specific information about the nature of conduct reported to CSSC other than to indicate to particular events the status of an individual within CSSC process, including its recommendation as to whether a particular participant should be allowed to attend future events.

After a Report Is Filed

Once your report has been taken, CSSC may take some or all of the following steps:

  • Assess the nature, credibility, and seriousness of the report.
  • Inform the reporting party as to whether CSSC will investigate the report or take other action.
  • Determine an appropriate plan for investigation.
  • Attempt to reach and discuss with the reported-against party and any potential eye witness(es).
  • Assess the potential risk of harm to future participants or CSSC events.
  • Research other allegations of misconduct involving the reported-against party.
  • Assess the potential for reported-against parties to correct behaviors through education, counseling, restorative justice practices, or time away from events.
  • Make a decision about whether the reported-against party will be offered invitations to participate in future CSSC Member events, and under what terms.
  • Share your invite status with other CSSC events or other 10 principle events.
  • Communicate back to the reporting party regarding status and timeline of the matter, noting that CSSC does not determine guilt or liability for particular accusations.

No two situations are the same and thus, there are not prescribed outcomes or procedures.

CSSC Members have a zero tolerance policy regarding retaliation against community members or volunteers who have filed a valid report with CSSC.

Apogaea Social Media Guidelines & Policy

Social Media Policy

Apogaea recognizes that many community members and volunteers participate in social media services for their own personal use and often, to discuss Apogaea, Burning Man and personal experiences within the culture. This accessibility and discourse contributes to the important long-term tradition and continuing evolution of the community.

Strong interpersonal bonds create an open stronger community. To help community members, our culture’s leaders, to engage within social networks and online communication without inadvertently causing any undue harm to Apogaea, Inc., the Burning Man Project or your fellow Burners, we’ve crafted a set of basic guidelines for social media and outlined a public social media policy. We intend these guidelines and policies to foster accurate communication and strengthen relationships through transparency of expectations.

General Social Media Policy

Apogaea, Inc. has a responsibility to maintain this space for the benefit of all visitors. The posts and comments made on our social media sites will have the power to add to or detract from Apogaea’s overall message. It is our responsibility to create online communication that enhances the experience of participants and visitors.

Post & Comment Guidelines

In general any posts that are obvious spam or commercial events will be deleted and the poster will be warned. (Theme camp fundraisers and Burner-ish free parties are not spam and will not be deleted.)

Our moderators will remove posts and comments they believe are counter to civil discourse.

Moderators, in collaboration with the Board of Directors, may remove the following categories of comments and/or posts that violate the spirit of the social media policy:

  • Personal attacks or rumors (posts and/or comments) that are detrimental or disruptive to Apogaea and/or its volunteers, participants, or the community
  • Off topic or unrelated to the organization’s or community’s activities
  • Spam (posts containing more than one URL or unrelated URL are considered spam)
  • Inaccurate information (this information may also be corrected in comments or additional posts from official sources such as the Apogaea General Information page)
  • Unnecessarily inflammatory language or posts attacking a point of view
  • Abusive language targeted to any groups (ethnic, racial, religious, class-related, etc.)
  • Content that knowingly violates the copyright, trademark or trade secret of any individual or entity
  • Repeat offenders or known trolls (Moderators may choose to permanently ban the IP addresses of these individuals from the forum.)

To respect the creativity and rights of others, we ask that any photos shared in Apogaea-sponsored social media groups are ones you own or have permission to post.

Only post photos of people who have given consent to have their photos posted. Permission to take a photo is not the same as permission to post a photo on social media.

If questions arise about a moderator’s decision on social media guidelines or policy enforcement, contact the Communications Team by emailing [email protected]. If you would like to further discuss the decision or have policy-related questions, contact the Board of Directors by emailing [email protected].

“Turning Off” Comments

Moderators may choose, at times, to turn off the comments feature on a specific post due to a variety of factors including subject matter, web traffic patterns and timing. Feel free to track back and post your thoughts if comments on that entry are “turned on” at a later time.

Although moderators have discretion to turn off comments at any time, they will try to avoid doing so mid-conversation and will avoid doing so if possible.

Moderators and Telemetry may determine a standard operating procedure and timeframe for “turning off” comments on older posts to focus moderator efforts on contemporary conversations.

Appeal/Reposting

All edits, post removals and user actions are at the sole discretion of our moderators and are subject to appeal only if you can establish to their satisfaction that the decision should be reversed. Otherwise, removal decisions are final.

Moderators are selected members of Ignition or above. Moderators will inform the Board of any policy-related issues arising out of social media communication and may consult with Board members regarding edits, post removals and user actions. Community members may discuss social media issues or appeals with the Apogaea Board of Directors. Board members will consult with moderators regarding such discussions. All Board members are not automatic forum moderators.

If your post or comment has been edited, removed or comments “turned off”, you may repost the same information or opinion if you have remedied the issue leading to the moderator’s decision. Whether you have satisfactorily remedied the issue is up to the sole discretion of the moderators.

Banning Members from Social Media Groups

Moderators reserve the right to take action to protect the integrity and safety of Apogaea’s online spaces. Members who violate the Social Media Policy may have content removed, receive warnings, or be temporarily or permanently banned from Apogaea-affiliated social media groups. These decisions are made at the discretion of the moderation team, with the goal of fostering a respectful, inclusive, and community-aligned environment.

To help maintain a safe and aligned community, individuals who are not permitted to attend Apogaea may also be restricted from participating in Apogaea-sponsored social media spaces.

“Why can’t I express myself all over Apogaea’s social media?/What about Free Speech???”

Apogaea supports radical self-expression. As the Burning Man Project’s social media comment policy states, “We firmly believe you have the right to host what you want on your own website (so long, of course, as it doesn’t violate anyone else’s legal rights) – and we have that right too. Thus, if one of the things we don’t want on our site is your comment, we reserve the right to simply remove it. Our aim is to be as hands-off as possible and let you enjoy a spirited dialogue, but we retain the right and responsibility to maintain this space in the manner consistent with the atmosphere we hope to create for visitors.” Your posts and comments will not be censored just because we disagree with your opinion.