This department operates under three core values: Safety, Respect and Professionalism. Each of us commits to upholding and championing these values, and to supporting other members of our community in upholding them as well.
Safety
- Maintain an environment free from all forms of bullying and discrimination, including microaggressions
- Maintain an environment free from sexual violence and sexual harassment
- Respect the privacy and personal boundaries of others
- Complete and continually update all laboratory and field safety training
- Adhere to safe practices in the field and laboratory
Respect
- Create a safe space that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities.
- Actively identify and remove barriers to accessibility
- Respect names and pronouns
- Treat all community members with the same level of courtesy, politeness, kindness, professionalism, and respect, regardless of their role or level of seniority
- Be respectful and kind when giving feedback, and thoughtful and open in receiving it
- Support a respectful space for individuals to participate in challenging, constructive, and critical dialogue and scientific debate
Professionalism
- Communicate openly, regularly, and collaboratively about mutual expectations for performance, responsibilities, and behavior in the laboratory and broader community
- Ensure community members receive equal support and access to opportunities
- Accept responsibility for mistakes and make changes to address them
- Respect community members’ time by being punctual and prepared
- Care for communal spaces by keeping them organized and clean
- Respect the principles of research integrity, confidentiality, and intellectual property
- Adhere to best practices in responsible data management
- Strive for open access science when disseminating research
We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are truly grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.
In addition, we acknowledge the colonial roots of science. We will strive to connect with Indigenous communities that might be impacted by our research, or on whose traditional land we may wish to conduct research. We will also strive to approach research and teaching from different perspectives, acknowledging that there are multiple ways of knowing. We commit to acting on U of T’s Answering the Call Wecheehetowin Final Report.