Values, Expectations, and Resources for the UTIG Community
The present document has been a passion project for the members of UTIG’s first Code of Conduct Committee, work that began in June 2020 associated with a UTIG Blue Sky proposal to advance Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) at UTIG that was submitted on 9 March 2020. We are grateful to UTIG Director Demian Saffer for establishing and funding the Blue Sky program and to the UTIG Executive Committee for reviewing and selecting this project for funding. We also owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Dr. Skyller Walkes, Professor of Pharmacy and Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Texas at Austin. On 4 September 2020 Dr. Walkes conducted an interactive seminar entitled Advancing understanding and vision for intersectionally inclusive practices to build a radically inclusive community (recording link), followed by a full day of individual and small group meetings at UTIG. More than any other source, Dr. Walkes’ seminar and the discussions that followed inspired this community-focused code of conduct document. In addition, Dr. Walkes provided specific guidance that the committee has attempted to integrate into this document, including the concept of Calling In vs Calling Out, the need for Informal Reporting, the use of Restorative Justice Mediation for conflict resolution, and the need for a standing DEAI Committee.
We would like to acknowledge that UT Austin resides on the Indigenous lands of Turtle Island, the ancestral name for what now is called North America.
Moreover, we would like to further acknowledge the Alabama-Coushatta, Caddo, Carrizo/Comecrudo, Coahuiltecan, Comanche, Kickapoo, Lipan Apache, Tonkawa and Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, and all the American Indian and Indigenous Peoples and communities who have been or have become a part of these lands and territories in Texas.[1]
The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics conducts research related to geological exploration, natural hazards, and climate science. To better understand the physical processes that shape the Earth, scientists from UTIG carry out field expeditions and interpret geophysical data sets from all over the world. Scientists at UTIG recognize that good stewardship of the Earth and its resources, the assessment of environmental impact and natural hazards relies on careful and independent research. With the acquisition of geophysical data sets and the dissemination of scientific results we aim to do right with our planet and all its citizens.
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[1] From the Program in Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) at The University of Texas at Austin https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/nais/land-acknowledgement/index.php