Preamble

We are a diverse community unified by a shared commitment to learning, teaching, and research. The varied perspectives, identities, backgrounds, and experiences we bring to our common endeavors are an essential source of our intellectual vitality. Recognizing that success in our mission depends on the cultivation of a respectful, inclusive environment, we affirm the following values, to which we look as guiding principles for our interactions with each other.

Values

• Every member of the community has inherent value and humanity, and is deserving of equal respect and empathy.
• Learning is a life-long project, and we each can and should learn from one another.
• We engage in the community with an open, “learner’s” mindset and credit others with the same, assuming positive intent.
• We accept accountability for our words and actions; we respond with generosity to others’ efforts to show accountability.
• We acknowledge the power we exercise as students, staff, and faculty members, and strive to be mindful of unequal power relationships.
• In the interest of ensuring open dialogue, we seek to cultivate an environment in which everyone feels able to express their views. To that end, we strive to listen carefully and to understand the positions from which others are speaking.