Contributing

How to contribute

Code of conduct

Respecting differences

We expect community members to be very respectful of different cultural practices, attitudes, and beliefs. This includes being aware of preferred titles and pronouns, as well as using a respectful tone of voice.

While we do not assume CNeuroMod community members know the cultural practices of every ethnic and cultural group, we expect members to recognize and respect differences within our community. This means being open to learning from and educating others, as well as educating yourself.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

  • Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, diet (vegetarian, lactose-free, vegan, etc), disability, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion.

  • Sexual images in public spaces

  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following

  • Harassing photography or recording

  • Sustained disruption of work

  • Inappropriate physical contact

  • Unwelcome sexual attention

  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour

Microaggressions

Incidents can take the form of “microaggressions,” which is a damaging form of harassment. Microaggressions are the everyday slights or insults which communicate negative messages to target individuals, often based upon their marginalized group membership. The following examples can all be labeled micro-aggressions:

  • commenting on a woman’s appearance rather than her work;

  • only directing questions at male colleagues when there are female experts in the room;

  • telling someone of colour that they “speak such good English”;

  • forcefully praising meat to an individual with a vegetarian diet;

  • praising alcoholic drinks to an individual who do not consume them.

  • Exclusion from a group can be a common nonverbal form of microaggression. Microaggressions can be couched in the form of a “compliment,” (e.g. “you’re too attractive to be a scientist”). Over time, microagressions can take a great toll on mental and emotional health, and the target’s feeling of belonging in science and academia.

Enforcement

Members should seek to pro-actively eliminate behaviors that deviate from our code of conduct. If a member engages in harassing behaviour, the CNeuroMod team will take any actions necessary to keep the community a welcoming environment for all. This includes warning the offender, and potentially expulsion from the spaces administered by the community, as well as revocation to data access. We expect C-PIP community members to follow these rules in the CNeuroMod virtual and physical spaces. Members asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. We think people should follow these rules outside of CNeuroMod too!

Reporting

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible in person, or in writing to NAME The direction will follow up with you to understand the problem, and take the necessary actions to resolve it without your direct involvement. Harassment and other code of conduct violations considerably reduce the value of the CNeuroMod research environment for everyone, and are taken very seriously. We strive to make CNeuroMod a rich and joyful community for everyone, at all time.