We are committed to providing a safe, inclusive, accessible, and harassment-free experience to everyone, including all group members and visitors. This code of conduct will be enforced as needed and applies to all Reservoir Group members; we note that this code supplements existing university and department policies, including the VT Principles of Community (https://www.vt.edu/principles-of-community.html). This code was developed with the goal of affirming our commitment to everyone’s growth and development, both personally and scientifically. This is a living document and we will revisit and update this document annually.
The philosophy of the Reservoir Group is to enable and support good science by creating a harassment and discrimination-free experience for everyone. We are committed to supporting and training a community with different perspectives and backgrounds, which inherently makes our science better.
Safe, inclusive, accessible, and harassment-free environments don’t just happen: they are created by the day-to-day interactions we all have with each other. Thus, it is the responsibility of all members of our group to help create and maintain a safe, inclusive, accessible, and harassment-free environment so that we may all benefit from it. Following the VT Principles of Community, we reject all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including those based on age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, and veteran status. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination by and/or of members and affiliates of our community in any form.
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Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other group members or contributors.
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Be an ally for your colleagues. Recognizing, intervening, and showing empathy for victims of discrimination is a critical way of supporting those around you, especially those with underrepresented identities.
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Create an inclusive environment for everyone. Give everyone a chance to talk and an opportunity to contribute.
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The only way that we can have challenging discussions on challenging topics is to make the lab a safe space for these conversations to happen. We start with the foundation that everyone in Reservoir Group is inherently invested in supporting all group members’ growth. To grow, it is important for everyone to be able to share their perspectives, and for others to provide feedback.
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Be aware that your actions can be hurtful to others or contribute to a negative environment even if you have no intent of harm. Listen when someone voices concern, reflect, and offer a genuine apology. Commit to learning and doing better.
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When/if a problematic statement or action is identified, take a growth mindset. Try to avoid defensiveness and conflating the mistake with reflections on you as a person. We encourage group members to educate themselves on how to avoid harmful language and behavior.
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Harassment and sexist, racist, discriminatory, or exclusionary actions, language, imagery, jokes, and micro-aggressions are unacceptable.
All group members and visitors are expected to abide by these policies on and off-campus (e.g., conferences, fieldwork, lab-related social activities), and in all online and in-person communication and interactions.
Anyone asked to stop any harassing or discriminatory behavior is expected to comply immediately. If inappropriate behavior persists, the issue will be escalated following VT policies; for current guidelines, please see the VT Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education (https://civilrights.vt.edu/).
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any concerns about potential violations, please contact Cayelan or Maddy immediately. As all faculty, staff, and graduate students are mandatory reporters, harassment violations of any kind have to be reported to the university’s Title IX office, which Cayelan/Maddy can help you navigate. The Title IX office can also refer you to other resources on campus if your concerns do not fit with their purview (e.g., the SAFE at VT program, https://safe.vt.edu). If Cayelan or Maddy is the cause of your concern, they need to be reported to the Title IX office as well. Concerns can also be directed confidentially to the Virginia Tech Ombuds office (https://ombuds.vt.edu); there are separate Ombuds for students/staff/faculty at different career stages (e.g., for grad students, see: https://www.graduate.ombudsman.vt.edu/community.html). Other confidential resources include the Cook Counseling Center (https://ucc.vt.edu) and Women's Center (https://www.womenscenter.vt.edu).
This document was initially drafted by Cayelan Carey and Maddy Schreiber and iteratively revised and improved by all members of the Reservoir Group. We were inspired by the Weecology's code of conduct throughout our process of crafting this document (https://www.weecology.org/lab-wiki/code-of-conduct/). Resources for group members to educate themselves on how to avoid harmful language and behavior are available on the Reservoir Group shared drive.