Values Statement

A. Opening Statement

The Department of Physics shares McGill University's commitment to academic excellence, inclusion, and respect. We strive for a department in which all members feel a sense of belonging and can thrive as Physics students, instructors, researchers, and support staff. Fostering and sustaining an equitable and inclusive environment —one which recognizes the diversity of backgrounds, identities, and expectations— broadens our perspectives and strengthens our community, research, and teaching activities.

We recognize the importance of clearly defining and communicating our expectations and standards to all members and visitors to the department. The following statements are discussed and updated regularly and are the result of the combined efforts of members of the Physics department from a wide range of backgrounds, positions, and research disciplines. This document outlines our aspirations to be a better department where mistakes are humbly viewed as an opportunity for learning and growth, just as we do in our Physics research. This guide complements and does not supersede McGill's policies and regulations.

All items listed below are of equal importance in all activities and communications, both in-person and virtual, including, but not limited to, social, academic, research, and outreach settings. Numbering is provided only for reference.

Note: By “all members”, “others”, and “everyone”, we mean everyone, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, language, civil status, nationality, political conviction, religion, ability status, social condition, physical appearance, educational background, or any other grounds on which discrimination is prohibited by law.

B. Professionally, we value

1. Fostering excellence and advancement in learning and research for all and enabling all members to achieve their full potential;
2. Academic integrity, honesty, trust, fair treatment, respect, responsibility;
3. Recognizing and valuing the achievements and contributions of the members of the department, including those of junior scientists, to both science and our communities;
4. Academic collaborations both within McGill and with other institutions worldwide;
5. Making known and accessible means of financial, professional, and academic support and mentorship (see Resources);
6. Holding all members of the department accountable to the same expectations, regardless of their position;
7. Valuing and acknowledging our administrative, technical, janitorial, and support staff, and the essential role they play in our department;
8. An environment of academic freedom and constant and responsible assessment of the social and environmental impact of our research;
9. Diversity and inclusion, which broaden and enrich our perspectives and approaches;
10. Establishing and maintaining ties with the broader community through outreach and engaging with historically underserved communities;
11. Actively identifying and correcting biases and systemic barriers within our own department in areas including, but not limited to: admissions, recruitment, promotion, and evaluation;
12. Recognizing that McGill University and the greater Montréal area are situated on unceded territory of Indigenous peoples. Identifying areas in which we can support Indigenous peoples, and including Indigenous peoples in our research, learning, and teaching. We value education on Indigenous sovereignty, support of Indigenous culture and joy, and exploration of both McGill's history and contemporary policies relating to the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples; and
13. Regularly clarifying and maintaining our commitments to professional standards, especially in relationships with unequal power dynamics, e.g., advisor-advisee, instructor-student (see University Regulation on Conflict of Interest as well as Guidelines on Intimate Relationships between Teaching Staff and Students).

C. In our interpersonal interactions, we value

1. Creating and upholding — both in-person and online — environments of mutual respect amongst all members of the department and participants in all activities and communications;
2. Maintaining respect and collegiality between all members of the local and global research community;
3. Constructing a safe environment in which all members are free from any and all forms of harassment, discrimination, bullying, prejudice, or any actions that cause mental or physical harm;
4. Making known and accessible means of mental and emotional support and mentorship, as well as reporting options in cases of violation of the University's Policies and Regulations (see Resources);
5. Actively soliciting a diverse range of opinions from all members of the department, in order to continually learn from their unique experiences and challenges; and
6. Ensuring feedback, both positive and negative, is respectful and constructive for fostering progress in our work.

Our Expectations on Professional Conduct

A. Expected behaviours of all members of the Department of Physics at McGill:

1. Treat others with empathy, dignity, courtesy, respect, and consideration.
2. Treat everyone with kindness, valuing a diversity of views and opinions, including those you may not share.
3. Communicate openly, with respect for others, critiquing ideas rather than individuals.
4. Manage conflict with others in a respectful rather than confrontational way.
5. Behaviour that is acceptable to one person may not be acceptable to another, so use discretion to assure respect is communicated.
6. Be mindful of unequal power dynamics that arise from hierarchy (e.g., advisor-advisee, instructor-student, chair-staff) and/or from social privilege (e.g., race, ethnicity, mother-tongue, gender, ability status), which can supersede hierarchical power dynamics.
7. Acknowledge one's mistakes sincerely, apologize when appropriate, and commit to do better in the future.

B. Behaviours that are inappropriate and unacceptable in the Department of Physics at McGill:

1. Hostile and/or unwanted conduct directed at others including (but not limited to) profanity, abuse, shouting, aggression, violent language, or inappropriate physical contact.
2. The use of imagery and/or language in verbal or written communications that harass others, or are otherwise discriminatory. Harassment intended in a joking manner still constitutes unacceptable behaviour (see expectations A5).
3. Dismissing the discrimination, harassment, sexism, and racism experienced by others in the department and the community at large.
4. Any form of retaliation against those who make a disclosure or a report.

Physics is ultimately a human endeavour: by improving the quality of our interactions we create a better work environment and a more productive department. These guidelines complement and do not supersede relevant University's Rules and Regulations, including the Policy on Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited by Law, the Policy against Sexual Violence, and the Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures. It is the obligation of every member of the department to read, understand, and follow University regulations, policies, and guidelines. Any formal disciplinary measures are the domain of the relevant University mechanisms.

Individuals who are concerned that there has been a breach of any guideline referred to in this document should raise their concern in accordance with the applicable University policy (see Resources). In situations where it is ambiguous as to whether there are relevant existing policies, concerned individuals may contact the Department's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee or the chair of the Department for guidance towards an appropriate support service at McGill.

The development of this statement was inspired by the The Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto Values Statement and Code of Conduct.

Definitions

EQUITY (as defined in McGill's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategic plan)

Equity, unlike the notion of equality, is not about sameness of treatment. It denotes fairness and justice in process and in results. Equitable outcomes often require differential treatment and resource redistribution to achieve a level playing field among all individuals and communities. This requires recognizing and addressing barriers to opportunities for all to thrive in our University environment.

DIVERSITY (as defined in McGill's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategic plan)

Diversity describes the presence of difference within any collection of people. In discussions of social equity, diversity addresses differences in social group membership related, for example, to race, Indigenous identity, class, gender identity or expression, sexuality, disability, ethnicity, and religion. Discussions about diversity linked to access and equity require knowledge and understanding of historical and contemporary experiences of oppression and exclusion. Diversity should be understood as uniting rather than dividing. The term calls upon us to appreciate both differences and interconnectedness, and to recognize and respond to systemic and institutionalized discrimination.

INCLUSION (as defined in McGill's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategic plan)

Inclusion refers to the notion of belonging, feeling welcome and valued, having a sense of citizenship. It also speaks to a capacity to engage and succeed in a given institution, program, or setting. Inclusion calls for recognizing, reducing, and removing barriers to participation created by social disadvantage or oppression, and can result in the reimagination of an institution, program, or setting.

HARASSMENT

According to section 2.6 of McGill's Policy on Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited by Law, harassment is “any vexatious behaviour by one Member of the University Community towards another Member of the University Community in the form of repeated hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures, that affect the dignity or psychological or physical integrity of a Member of the University Community and that result in a harmful environment for such an individual. Within the employment relationship, a single serious incidence of such behaviour that has a lasting harmful effect on such an individual may also constitute Harassment.”

DISCRIMINATION

According to section 2.5 of McGill's Policy on Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited by Law, discrimination prohibited by law is “any action, behaviour, or decision based on race, colour, sex (including gender identity), pregnancy, sexual orientation, civil status, age (except as provided by law), religion, political conviction, language, ethnic or national origin, social condition, a disability or the use of any means to palliate a disability which results in the exclusion or preference of an individual or group within the University community. This includes both the actions of individual members of the University and systemic institutional practices and policies of the University.”

SYSTEMIC BARRIERS

The patterns of behaviour, policies or practices that are part of the structures of an organization, and which create or perpetuate disadvantage for marginalized groups, including racialized people, poor people, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, women, and Indigenous people.

POWER DYNAMICS

The difference in power between people and/or groups that impact their interactions with one another, often implied and intuitively followed. Unequal power dynamics can arise from hierarchy (e.g., advisor-advisee, instructor-student, chair-staff) or from social privilege (e.g., race, ethnicity, mother-tongue, gender, ability status), where the latter can supersede the former.