Philosophy

We strive for inclusive excellence. This research group will foster an environment in which all feel comfortable, are able to learn and contribute to the team’s goal, as well as advance towards individual career goals. One of the steps we are taking towards a stronger sense inclusion is the creation of this code of conduct. This code is focussed on non-Academic misconduct. By acknowledging the challenges to full EDI that exist in our field, we will intentionally take steps to remove barriers to inclusion and equity. This code will be reviewed on an annual basis at the first meeting every January so it stays up to date and relevant to all team members. Team members will also have the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback. Please also see the definitions and resources below. 
 
What is misconduct? In our research-focussed lab there are two types of misconduct to be aware of:

  1. Scholarly Misconduct. See the UBC Reponsible Conduct of Research website for a comprehensive list of types of scholarly misconduct (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, failure to comply with any applicable funding applications and agreements, university and other policies, standards of the relevant profession or discipline, and laws and regulations etc). If you suspect scholarly misconduct please discuss with Megan. The UBC Reponsible Conduct of Research website outlines the steps for reporting an integrity breach on the Reporting and Responding to Integrity Breaches page.
  2. Non-Academic Misconduct. See the Campus-wide Policies and Regulations page on the UBC website for a comprehensive list of situations that would be considered non-academic misconduct. Examples include harassment, discrimination, or conditions that endanger the health, safety, property, or well-being of any person.

Levings’ Lab Code of Conduct

  1. Team members shall respect each individual's ideas, culture, and identity and advocate for each other.
  2. Team members shall aim to maintain friendly professionalism.
  3. We will hold multiple types of team bonding events so that no one feels excluded from the group if they don’t feel comfortable with a particular activity. Participation in lab-wide events will never come with a personal financial cost. Some activities will take place during working hours to account for family and other commitments.  
  4. Since communication breakdown is the most common cause of conflict, all group members shall strive to have clear communication about expectations. Optimal communication may require a combination of written and oral approaches. 
  5. Team members should actively learn about each other’s’ experiences as understanding and appreciating barriers faced by others is a key step towards meaningful change. 
  6. All forms of misconduct and harassment (including but not limited to sexual, physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, and prejudice) will not be tolerated, and they will be reported to the appropriate authority at UBC.

Definitions (From the UBC Equity and inclusion glossary of terms)

  • Inclusive Excellence (IE) is a systems-wide approach to equity, diversity and inclusion. IE states that true excellence in an institution is unattainable without inclusion – and in fact, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to excellence. It moves away from historical approaches to diversity that focused on numbers and representation. Instead, IE helps us think about the institution as a vibrant community that can create excellence by embedding diversity throughout the institution.
  • Equity: achieving parity in policy, process and outcomes for historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized people and groups while accounting for diversity. It considers power, access, opportunities, treatment, impacts and outcomes, in three main areas:
      1. Representational equity: the proportional participation at all levels of an institution;
      2. Resource equity: the distribution of resources in order to close equity gaps;
      3. Equity-mindedness: the demonstration of an awareness of, and willingness to, address equity issues.
  • Diversity: differences in the social identities and lived experiences and perspectives of people that may include race, ethnicity, colour, ancestry, place of origin, political belief, religion, marital status, family status, physical disability, mental disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, class, and/or socio-economic situations.
  • Inclusion: an active, intentional, and continuous process to address inequities in power and privilege, and to build a respectful and diverse community that ensures welcoming spaces and opportunities to flourish for all.