The Open Consortium of Undergraduate Biology Educators (oCUBE) is committed to providing an environment of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). We celebrate and value our differences as it is these differences that strengthen us as a community of undergraduate biology educators. We encourage and provide equal opportunity for everyone to contribute and develop within our community through our “no spectators” policy. This establishes a communal responsibility between members to ensure we are all enriching and contributing our knowledge to the group regardless of our status. In this spirit, oCUBE supports education and professional development opportunities that are inclusive and collaborative to all.

oCUBE is made up of members from higher education institutions across Canada and the world. With the incorporation of oCUBE, we have changed our name from “Ontario” to “Open” to reflect our desire to seek expertise and membership from any undergraduate biology educator committed to sound practices. Through our inter-institutional nature, we see ourselves as actively contributing to these tenets by sharing our expertise openly to any interested person, from any institution, that engages with us via our communications, online events and in-person meetings. 

The oCUBE position on human rights is in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We note that a commitment to EDI is a process that requires ongoing action and reflection. We recognize the importance of this commitment to promote healthy members and healthy communities, and to support the success of oCUBE, our institutions, and our students.

We are committed and share the responsibility to:

• respect every person, including their unique characteristics and experiences;
• value the diversity of all people and their cultural backgrounds;
• treat everyone equally and fairly, without preferential treatment nor personal favour;
• ensure that opportunities and responsibilities are not dependent upon an individual’s identity;
• be inclusive, accepting, and respectful of our differences in opinion, beliefs, and lifestyle;
• appreciate the strengths and needs of all members, regardless of generation, experience level, and status;
• learn from and with a variety of different personalities and perspectives;
• strive for open, transparent, and fair policies and communication;
• actively work to recognize, develop, and promote initiatives towards equity, diversity, and inclusion by regularly reviewing and reflecting upon our activities and outcomes in terms of EDI, and by updating our mission, bylaws, committees, initiatives, and/or policies as necessary.

We recognize the importance of this commitment to promote healthy members and healthy communities, and to support the success of the organization, our institutions, and our students. As we grow and develop as a community, we welcome your feedback on how we can improve our commitment to EDI. Please send your suggestions to us at ocubeorg@gmail.com

*Portions of this statement were adopted or adapted from the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science Diversity Statement:  https://www.csmls.org/csmls/media/documents/position_statements/Diversity-EN.pdf and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement of the Department of Integrative Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph: https://www.uoguelph.ca/ib/EDI_Statement