UBC EOAS Code of Conduct

Building upon the UBC Statement on Respectful Environment

Everyone in the UBC Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) has the right to be free from discrimination, unlawful harassment, sexual misconduct, and violence. EOAS is committed to providing a safe, productive, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all staff, students, faculty, and participants in any field project, classroom, lab, conference, workshop, or project hosted or managed by EOAS, no matter what role they play. As such, all staff, students, faculty and participants are required to abide by this Code of Conduct.

Expectations:

  • All UBC members and affiliates are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of others.
  • All UBC members and affiliates are expected to follow the guidelines laid out in UBC Policies SC7 (Discrimination Policy), SC17 (Sexual Misconduct Policy), and SC18 (Retaliation Policy).
  • All UBC members, affiliates, and guests are to be treated with respect and consideration, as outlined in the UBC Statement on Respectful Environment.

Unacceptable Behaviors:

The following behaviors are considered violations of the EOAS Code of Conduct. Please note this list presents some examples and is not all-encompassing. Violations will result in serious sanctions, as outlined in the next section.

Anyone requested to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.

  • Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, religion, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
  • Sexual Harassment​ includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, and offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical appearance, race/ethnicity and body size. 
    *See Appendix A for additional examples of sexual harassment and misconduct.
  • Sexual Misconduct​ includes rape, sexual assault, inappropriate touching, sexual battery, sexual exploitation, coercion, and other forms of non-consensual sexual activity.
  • Stalking​ is repeatedly following, harassing, threatening, or intimidating including by telephone, mail, electronic communication, or social media.
  • Physical or verbal abuse is an act of violence either through physical action or in the form of speech.
  • Retaliation ​is adverse actions – employment, academic, or otherwise – against anyone reporting a violation of this policy (including reporting to EOAS staff, management, police, or Investigations Office).

Potential Actions and Consequences:

EOAS and UBC management have the ability to take immediate and longer-term actions to ensure the safety of UBC members and affiliates. 

  • Immediate action can be carried out by a supervisor/manager and may include changes in field team composition or lab assignments and/or other options including the potential removal of a participant from the event or activity. Action taken will depend on the complaint, and will be informed by consultation with the person who experienced unacceptable behavior. If an incident involves criminal activity, the police will be notified immediately.
  • Longer-term actions may occur once an investigation is completed. The UBC Investigations Office will make a ‘finding of fact,’ that will inform disciplinary action by the relevant manager (e.g. Department Head, Dean, President). EOAS will consider the perspectives of those who experienced unacceptable behavior in finding solutions to make the environment safe again. 

Options for Reporting Unacceptable Behavior: 

All staff, students, faculty, and affiliates who feel harassed, discriminated, or subject to retaliation are encouraged to tell someone. This can include a friend, professional support groups, any staff, a manager or supervisor, department head, or graduate program director. Note: If a disclosure contains information about criminal activity, heads, managers, and supervisors are obligated to involve the police. 

Individuals in EOAS have multiple reporting avenues. You can report an incident that you experienced, witnessed, or were told about, by using the information in the flowchart here.  

Appendix A. Additional examples of sexual harassment and misconduct (but not limited to):

  • Patterns​ of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others.
  • Dating and Domestic Violence​ includes emotional, verbal, and economic abuse with or without the presence of physical abuse.
  • Power-based personal violence​ occurs when an individual asserts power, control, or intimidation in order to harm another. This includes relationship/partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
  • Deliberately mis-characterizing a person's gender identity, including the intentional use of a name or pronoun that the person has rejected.
  • Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behavior in spaces where they're not appropriate.
  • Violating the Ask Once Policy (defined below)
    • Ask Once​ Policy​ - it is generally appropriate to ask someone out once, but no more than once. EOAS follows Ask Once​ as a behavioral guideline. The Ask Once​ guideline means that you can ask someone out once, and if they do not say yes, you cannot ask them out again. Asking out includes hitting on, expressing interest, and making advances. If someone brushes off the advance, does not reciprocate in a positive way, or turns down the advance in any way, it must be considered a "no". This guideline is intended to inform the behavior of someone interested in another EOAS member or affiliate, give people a simple way to judge when they are being harassed, and give EOAS management a tool in which to evaluate a resident's behavior.

Appendix B.

This Code of Conduct is based heavily on the UCAR Earth Observing Laboratory Code of Conduct and Sexual Misconduct Policy for the Toolik Field Station, UAF, development of which was led by former TFS staff member Brie Van Dam ( ). Resources used in the creation of this policy: