What To Do, Reporting, and Resources

• In case of emergency dial 911. Our location is 240 Salt Pond Road, Pembroke Virginia, 24136.

• In any crisis, immediately notify Station Directors or staff (24/7) of any dangerous or unacceptable behavior or situation.

  • To find us: Go to our residence / Radio channel #2 / Ring dining hall bell / Telephone

  • If you need to escape: Evacuate (and take a friend?) to the Mountain Lake Resort Hotel.

• To report misconduct contact Station Directors or staff, or if you prefer, contact any of the UVA campus resourceslisted below.Charlottesville is three hoursfrom MLBS.

University and MLBS Support and Reporting Resources

Mountain Lake Directors and Staff

We are all University of Virginia employees and are trained in reporting and follow-up procedures. Your safety and wellbeing are our first priority. Nothing is more important. Please come to us at any time if you need help or are unsure where to turn.

• Butch Brodie, Director

Director’s Cottage, 540-626-6285, 434-594-5741 cell, bbrodie@virginia.edu

• Jaime Jones, Station Manager

Tawney Cottage, Ruth Patrick 102, 540-626-3985, -7196, 540-520-4665 cell, jjones@virginia.edu

UVA Emergency and Crisis Services eocr.virginia.edu/confidential-and-other-resources Includes a full list of medical, safety, crisis, and psychological services at UVA.

UVA Women’s Center 434-982-2252 womenscenter.virginia.edu

UVA Title IX Team 434-297-7988 titleixcoordinator@virginia.edu eocr.virginia.edu/title-ix-team UVA On-Line Reporting System (UVA login ID required) - Just Report It                                         virginia.edu/justreportit MLBS Harassment and Misconduct Policy and this Code of Conduct mlbs.org/conduct

UVA Discrimination and Harassment Policy eocr.virginia.edu/discrimination-and-harassment

Confidential Crisis Resources

UVA Counseling And Psychological Services (CAPS), same as “UVA Emergency and Crisis Services” above 434-243-5150 and 434-297-4261 after hours

SexualAssaultResource Agency (SARA), a privatenon-profit  434-977-7273 saracville.org RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline 800-656-4673 hotline.rainn.org/online/terms-of-service.jsp Shelter for Help in Emergency 434-293-8509

Family Violence and Sexual Assault Virginia Hotline  800-838-8238 or text 804-793-9999

Conduct

• Zero Tolerance – Mountain Lake Biological Station (MLBS) does not tolerate assault, abuse, harassment, discrimination, misconduct, or any violation of this policy, within the Station Grounds, at field sites, or anywhere Station-supported work is conducted or where Station residents or users may be during their stay.
• Commitment – MLBS is committed to eliminating, preventing, and addressing all forms of assault, abuse, harassment, discrimination, misconduct, and bias, to the best of its ability. MLBS is committed to promoting a safe, productive, and supportive research and education environment for current and future scientists, students, employees, vendors, contractors, users, guests, and visitors. It is committed to respectfully hearing, investigating, and attempting to resolve any and all complaints of policy violation. It is also committed to supporting those impacted by misconduct.
• Communications – MLBS has policies, guidelines, and communications so that Station users clearly understand behavior expectations, individual rights, resources, recourse, and reporting procedures. MLBS supports Station users in reporting policy violations.
• Code of Conduct – MLBS maintains a Code of Conduct document which is distributed to all Station uses on arrival.
• Dismissal – Directors of MLBS and other University officials may dismiss anyone from program or class participation and may immediately expel anyone from the Station Grounds if they are judged to have violated this Policy or the Code of Conduct.
• Work Environment – MLBS is a workplace. Everyone is expected to engage professionally with everyone else. No one at MLBS may behave to:
  • effect a hostile, unsafe, intimidating, or uncomfortable, working environment;
  • unreasonably interfere with an individual’s work performance; or
  • otherwise adversely impact anyone’s employment opportunities or working relationships at MLBS.
• Positions of Trust – University staff and faculty, project, class, program, or group leaders, are all considered to hold positions of trust. They must comport themselves in a professional, responsible, and accountable manner, including during the performance of professional activities conducted outside the Station, such as at field sites or facilities, or during field trips, recreational activities, conferences, or workshops. They are also responsible for promoting this policy by example, enforcing this policy, and for reporting violations.
• Dignity and Respect – Everyone working or living at MLBS (including students, interns, volunteers, researchers, employees, vendors, visitors, and guests) is to be treated, and must treat others, with honor, integrity, respect, dignity and non-violence at all times. While working, living, or visiting MLBS no one may engage in conduct or action that discriminates against, denigrates, shows hostility or disrespect toward, any individual because of her or his race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national identity, disability, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or any other characteristic protected by law or University of Virginia policy. All forms of personal verbal, physical, or sexual assault, harassment, coercion, or violence are prohibited.
• Sexual Harassment and Misconduct – MLBS prohibits all forms of sexual harassment and misconduct, including, but not limited to, unwelcome sexual advances or flirtation, conduct, displays, statements, innuendo, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when it may reasonably be perceived that:
  • submission to such conduct is either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment; employment, class, or program evaluation outcome; participation in MLBS program or activity; or any professional opportunity; or
  • such conduct has the purpose or effect of materially and adversely interfering with an individual’s ability to perform work at MLBS by creating an intimidating, hostile, humiliating, or sexually offensive working environment.
• Examples of Improper Conduct or Actions – Unacceptable behavior includes, but are not limited to: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, sexual remarks or jokes, inappropriate touching or assault (sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact, up to and including rape), unwanted verbal attention, stalking, shaming, bullying, threatening, intimidating, gesturing or physical interference which impedes or blocks another’s movement, demeaning or inappropriate sexually graphic posters, cartoons, photographs, videos, graffiti, or drawings.
• UVA policies – MLBS is part of the University of Virginia and therefore subject to all UVA policies and procedures. Discrimination and Harassment (eocr.virginia.edu/discrimination- and-harassment) policy and resource material supplements and supersedes this policy and includes University policies, reporting procedures, and training resources for all student and employee issues, including Title IX.
• Reporting Misconduct and Resolving Complaints – Any form of illegal, unethical, prohibited, or unwanted conduct or action should be reported to Station directors or staff, or other University officials right away. University employees (and some others) are required to report violations, and reports of violations, of University policy to University officials. So even if resolution of an issue is handled locally, a formal report may have to be filed with the University, potentially resulting in an investigation by the University. Depending on the seriousness of the complaint, the wishes, and the disposition of those involved, resolution of a violation can be managed in any of three ways:
  • One-to-one communication between the parties,
  • Resolution with the assistance of a third party (e.g. MLBS staff),
  • Resolution with the assistance of Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights. Any, or all, avenues of resolution are always available and are defined in more detail by the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, who’s policy supersedes this one. MLBS personnel will support and assist anyone in reporting or resolving a complaint. Again, University employees, National Science Foundation principal investigators, and others, may be required to themselves report Title IX or other state or university law, code, or regulation violations, or reports of violations, to University of Virginia authorities, the National Science Foundation, or law enforcement. Complainants should always make sure they understand if what they are reporting can be kept in confidence or not.
• Retaliation and False Reporting – Retaliation for conduct reporting, and reporting an incident in bad faith or with intent to deceive or propagate a falsehood are also violations of this policy and the University of Virginia Honor Code.

Some Policies and Resources Applicable to MLBS

• The University of Virginia Discrimination and Harassment
• The National Science Foundation policy on Sexual Harassment www.nsf.gov/od/odi/harassment.jsp
• UVA Emergency and Crisis Services eocr.virginia.edu/confidential-and-other-resources
• Just Report It – virginia.edu/justreportit
• UVA Counseling And Psychological Services (CAPS) 434-243-5150 and 434-297-4261 after hours
• Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA), a private non-profit saracville.org 434-977-7273
• RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline hotline.rainn.org/online/terms-of-service.jsp 800-656-4673
• UVA Women’s Center 434-982-2252
• UVA Title IX Coordinator titleixcoordinator@virginia.edu  434-297-7643