Convention Rules
General Rules
All visitors to the Rochester Institute of Technology campus must obey all local, NY state, and federal laws. Attendees must also comply with RIT's rules and regulations, which can be reviewed on the following pages:
RIT Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment
RIT Compliance Policy and Code of Ethical Conduct
Any behavior that disrupts the family-friendly environment of the convention will be handled at the discretion of the Tora-Con Staff and RIT Public Safety. Consequences may range from warnings to removal of from the convention. Any behavior that threatens the safety of another person will be handled by RIT Public Safety and may result in criminal charges being filed.
Tora-Con Staff and Volunteers are not responsible for any lost or missing items. Attendees will be directed to the Lost and Found located at Campus Center Information Desk if items are reported missing. After the completion of the convention, all items held in lost and found will be handed over to RIT's lost and found.
Attendees are prohibited from selling material goods and wares on RIT campus. This includes but is not limited to any anime-related merchandise, food, services, and artwork.
Attendees are expected to respect and follow the Tora-Con Staff and Volunteers, RIT Staff, RIT Public Safety, and uniformed officers.
Tora-Con Staff, RIT Staff, RIT Public Safety, and advisors will have final say on any rule violations.
Restricted Items
No restricted substances, including cigarettes, Marijuana, and alcohol, are allowed at Tora-Con for the entirety of the convention.
Any form of ahegao clothing is strictly prohibited.
Electronic cigarettes or vapes are not permitted indoors on RIT campus.
Food
Homemade food may not be sold or given away at the convention. Anyone found doing this will have the items confiscated and given a warning. This is to protect all convention attendees’ health and safety.
We recommend only purchasing food at fully licensed and inspected food vendors while in the convention areas.
Age Requirements
All children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Tora-Con Staff and Volunteers cannot help locate any lost children, but can direct adults to RIT Public Safety and the RIT Information Desk for assistance.
Some panels and events may be restricted to attendees age 18 and over. To gain entry to these panels and events, attendees must present a valid photo identification that clearly states the date of birth. (Ex: Drivers license, passport, etc.)
Unless otherwise stated, all panels and events should be considered PG-13.
Entry
To gain entry into any event or room at Tora-Con, attendees are required to have their badges worn and easily visible. Tora-Con Staff or Volunteers will be checking badges at the entrance to every room.
If you have lost your badge, you will be directed to the registration service desk, where you can obtain a proper replacement under the discretion of the Revenue team.
Rooms
Attendees will not be allowed into an event room until the scheduled time of the event unless guided in by Tora-Con staff.
No attendees will be allowed in a room once capacity has been reached. If an attendee needs to leave a room which is already full, they may not re-enter the room. All rooms will be cleared after each event. Attendees may not wait in a room after an event has ended.
There is no reserved or saved seating for attendees in any room at the convention. Seating may be designated for those with disabilities such as the hearing or visually impaired.
Certain events may require specific seating arrangements at the discretion of staff.
If your costume is large and may block the view for other attendees, please position yourself towards the sides or back of the room. Tora-Con Staff or Volunteers may direct you to a seat if the event will fill the entire room; please follow their directions.
Please clean up after yourself after you leave an event.
Event Lines & Seating
Attendees may not start lining up more than an hour before an event. Earlier lines will be broken up by Tora-Con Staff and Volunteers.
Tora-Con Staff and Volunteers will form lines in designated spaces an hour before a major event starts.
There is no sitting or standing permitted in walkways, aisles, or on stairs.
Chairs or alternate line arrangements can be made to meet accessibility needs if possible.
If you leave a line, you must re-enter at the back of the line. Go to the bathroom and eat food before you line up.
You may not save a spot for a friend or group. Violators will be sent to the end of the line. No exceptions.
Lines are single-file only. No large groups may stand together in line. Lines in hallways must remain against the walls and refrain from blocking doorways in case of an emergency.
Tora-Con Staff reserve the right to make on-site adjustments to lines and events as situations arise that affect attendee safety and traffic flow.
Tora-Con Staff or Volunteers may direct you to a seat if an event is expected to fill the entire room; please follow their directions.
Accessibility
Reserved seating in events may be available for those with disabilities such as the deaf or hard of hearing. Please ask at the event.
Some events may have interpretation services available. If you would like to request these services, please contact our Information Coordinator with an email subject of “interpreter needed”.
Service animals (as defined by the ADA) are welcome on RIT campus. Please refer to RIT’s policies regarding service animals here.
Photography & Recording
All Tora-Con attendees grant permission to be photographed or recorded by Tora-Con Staff for promotional purposes.
All attendees may photograph or video record events with consent at Tora-Con unless otherwise directed at specific events and panels. Signs will be posted at room entrances and/or verbal instructions will be provided prohibiting photography and/or recording.
No public photography unless given consent by the photographed individual(s). Violators will be asked to leave campus grounds.
Invasive or nonconsensual photography of attendees is considered harassment and subject to our harassment policy as defined below.
Please avoid using flash photography during events.
Harassment
Tora-Con does not allow harassment of any kind including but not limited to:
Verbal harassment such as name calling, jeering, threats or insults
Physical harassment such as hitting or throwing objects at another person
Sexual harassment such as touching, invasive photographing, or making unwelcome sexual advances toward another person
Violations will result in RIT Public Safety being called. Criminal charges may be filed.
If you feel the need to reach out to public safety directly you can do so here;
Or by reaching out via phone at;
Emergency: (585) 475-3333
Non-Emergency: (585) 475-2853
For concerns regarding Tora-Con Staff or Volunteers contact our staff management at; staffmanagement@ritanimeclub.org
For concerns regarding Non-Tora-Con students, or RIT Staff, a report can be filled out here: https://www.rit.edu/reporting-incident
Attendees must also adhere to RIT’s Sexual Misconduct and Harassment Policies. See link below for more information.
Refunds
All registrations are final and nonrefundable. No exceptions will be made.
