Statement of Community Values

The LSI is committed to a climate for success that embraces every team member.

The mission of the Life Sciences Institute (LSI) at the University of Michigan (U-M) is to advance fundamental discovery in the biosciences, and to improve human health for the benefit of society. LSI faculty are known for their innovative research, leadership in discovery science and commitment to training the next generation of leaders in science. The LSI is comprised of faculty-led laboratories and scientific centers/cores with state-of-the-art facilities and services, and is home to more than 400 individuals at various stages in their professional careers. Our diverse team includes faculty, administrative and research staff, postdoctoral research fellows, graduate and undergraduate students, affiliates and visiting scholars from all around the world.  

The LSI is committed to a climate for success that embraces every team member. We seek to be the gold standard of how members of a multidisciplinary academic community combine their talents to achieve institutional and scientific excellence. As a contributing team member, you are expected to strive for work excellence. This includes conducting your work ethically, safely and with integrity, respecting the rights and dignity of others, creating an inclusive environment, completing any required training, and complying with applicable laws, and LSI and U-M policies and procedures. These expectations apply when in the LSI building and while representing the LSI outside of the building (during work-related travel, events and meetings, conference attendance, etc.). For the U-M policies, visit the U-M Standard Practice Guide (SPG).

Each LSI team member plays a vital role in the success of the Institute’s mission, which is achieved through a commitment to the following community values:

Integrity

We perform work in a manner that is honest, moral, ethical and responsible, and that upholds the integrity of the LSI at all times.

The expectation of integrity applies to the use of all U-M/LSI resources, equipment and funding. Furthermore, it is a fundamental responsibility of all LSI team members to maintain the trust of the public in all research and scholarly activities and to preserve U-M’s and the LSI’s reputation for high standards of scholarly integrity. For more information, see U-M’s statements on Integrity of Scholarship and Research Integrity.

Collaboration and Cooperation

We foster teamwork and partnership through the inclusion of others’ views and scientific knowledge, as well as mutual respect and care of equipment, information and resources.

For a list of LSI supported and shared core equipment, please see an updated list located under Quick Links on the LSI Intranet (log-in required).

Safety

We adhere to the university’s safety rules, training requirements, policies, procedures and regulations to ensure a safe working environment for all.

For more information related to safety compliance when working in laboratories or conducting research, please see the U-M Environment, Health and Safety guidance.

Respect

We uphold the right for all to have an environment free from discrimination and harassment. 

This includes understanding and acknowledging that discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment, are contrary to the standards and policies of U-M and the LSI, diminish individual dignity, impede equal employment and educational opportunities, and unfairly restrict access to freedom of academic and research inquiry. Actions defined below and exemplified in this graphic will not be tolerated.

Two U-M Standard Practice Guides (SPG’s) provide specific information related to determining whether a particular course of conduct constitutes discrimination, harassment and/or misconduct.

SPG 201.89-1: Discrimination and Harassment provides the following definition:

Conduct based on an individual’s race, color, national origin, age, marital status, disability, religion, height, weight or veteran status that:

  1. adversely affects a term or condition of an individual’s employment, education, living environment or participation in a University activity (e.g., denying a person access to an educational program);
  2. is used as the basis for or a factor in decisions affecting that individual’s employment, education, living environment or participation in a University activity (e.g., denying raises, benefits, or promotions);
  3. has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s employment or educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, offensive, or abusive environment for that individual’s employment, education, living environment, or participation in a University activity (e.g., preventing any person from using University facilities or services); or
  4. instigates or allows an environment that is unwelcoming or hostile.

Consistent with state and federal law, reasonable accommodation will be provided to persons with disabilities and to accommodate religious practices.

SPG 601.89:  Policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct (“Policy”) prohibits the following types of conduct:

  • Sexual and gender-based misconduct (i.e., sexual assault; sexual exploitation; sexual harassment; gender-based harassment; sex and/or gender-based stalking; intimate partner violence; sex and gender-based discrimination; retaliation and violation of supportive measures); and
  • Title IX misconduct (i.e., quid pro quo sexual harassment; severe, pervasive and objectively offensive sexual harassment; sexual assault; and sex-based intimate partner violence and stalking; as defined by and within the scope of Title IX).

 For specific examples of the prohibited conduct listed above, see Section XI: Prohibited Conduct of “The Policy.”

Compliance with the Statement of Community Values

Compliance with the stated community values is essential to a work environment that enables each member to be successful and best ensures fulfillment of the LSI’s scientific and educational mission. It is important that all members understand that if they experience or observe a perceived violation of an LSI community value, there are multiple reporting options available, including the ability to remain anonymous. If reporting anonymously is preferred, certain types of reports and/or actions may be difficult for U-M or the LSI to pursue.