Fieldwork Expectations Agreement

Abstract

Fieldwork experiences are meant to be fun, engaging, positive learning experiences. By their very nature they involve working together as a team with many different people and stakeholders. For those reasons they also can be challenging in ways most do not expect, yet equally rewarding when those challenges are overcome. Our priority is to maintain a safe, healthy, and respectful environment for faculty, staff, student, trainees, partners, stakeholders, and the public. This is why we have a zero-tolerance policy for disrespectful, aggressive, threatening, malicious, discriminatory, or harassing behavior on site, after hours, and online through social media. As such, we therefore agree to be equal partners in creating a positive learning environment free from negative and damaging behavior by sharing a few simple and considerate expectations. 1) We commit to working as a team. We will be supportive of the team endeavor, working together, respecting each other and the interests of each team member, understanding and supporting leadership, providing leadership when necessary, and agreeing to the greater cause of fieldwork for research and learning through teamwork. 2) We commit to the greater cause defined by the project director(s). Whether the greater cause is for research or learning or both, fieldwork includes professional expectations and responsibilities that include but are not limited to: attendance, working hours, diligence, attention to detail and task, care and protection of heritage, safeguarding research and intellectual property, and awareness and compliance with all protocols, documentation, and instructions given by the director(s). We will respect all team members' rights to Intellectual Property (IP) and agree to cooperate and share freely in the spirit and intent of research and knowledge for the greater good of advancing science and humanity. 3) We commit to the care and protection of the people and communities that partner or host us. Fieldwork does not occur without public, community, and stakeholder support. From the permitting process through to fieldwork, there are many who assist us. We are always guests on someone else's land/water and we are often studying someone else's culture. We will respect local needs, interests, and customs and develop meaningful relationships with our partners and hosts that reach beyond our permitted time. We will endeavor to be inclusive and collaborative in all aspects of our work with the community and partners. 4) We commit to the right to a safe, respectful, non-threatening working and field camp environment. We commit to appropriate relations with all participants including written, face-to-face (verbal and non-verbal), and social media communication. We do not tolerate disrespectful, aggressive, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, and all other harmful behaviors that compromise individual participants and the team, regardless of role. With this zero-tolerance policy we will report any of the above behavior we witness to the project director(s). 5) We commit to representing the University, Department and Program in a respectful and professional way. Our behavior reflects on the institution at all levels and we recognize that our project director(s), staff, and students are bound by the ethical and professional codes of institutional affiliations (UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, Register of Professional Archaeologists, Society for Historical Archaeology). We recognize that the University holds codes and policies that govern our behavior both on and off-campus (Student Code of Conduct and Regulation on Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Other Forms of Interpersonal Violence). As such we commit to abiding by these ethics and behavior standards. 6) We commit to enjoying our experience and embrace the intensity, emotion, and exhaustion that comes with fieldwork. We understand that fieldwork is challenging and that equipment breaks, people get tired, stress levels elevate, and things happen that are out of our control. We endeavor to compromise, exercise patience and understanding, and be solutions to the problem when necessary. We commit to negotiating these challenges in a respectful and caring way, responding rather than reacting, and resolving that which can be resolved and accepting that which cannot. By signing below, you indicated acceptance of the fieldwork expectations and the zero-tolerance policy outlined above. You agree to show respect to all regardless of their role and to behave in an appropriate manner.

Full text

FieldworkExpectationsAgreement
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Fieldworkexperiencesaremeanttobefun,engaging,positivelearningexperiences.Bytheirverynaturetheyinvolveworking
togetherasateamwithmanydifferentpeopleandstakeholders.Forthosereasonstheyalsocanbechallenginginwaysmostdonot
expect,yetequallyrewardingwhenthosechallengesareovercome.
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Ourpriorityistomaintainasafe,healthy,andrespectfulenvironmentforfaculty,staff,student,trainees,partners,stakeholders,
andthepublic.Thisiswhywehaveazero‐tolerancepolicyfordisrespectful,aggressive,threatening,malicious,discriminatory,or
harassingbehavioronsite,afterhours,andonlinethroughsocialmedia.
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Assuch,wethereforeagreetobeequalpartnersincreatingapositivelearningenvironmentfreefromnegativeanddamaging
behaviorbysharingafewsimpleandconsiderateexpectations.
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1) Wecommittoworkingasateam.Wewillbesupportiveoftheteamendeavor,workingtogether,respectingeachother
andtheinterestsofeachteammember,understandingandsupportingleadership,providingleadershipwhennecessary,
andagreeingtothegreatercauseoffieldworkforresearchandlearningthroughteamwork.
2) Wecommittothegreatercausedefinedbytheprojectdirector(s).Whetherthegreatercauseisforresearchorlearning
orboth,fieldworkincludesprofessionalexpectationsandresponsibilitiesthatincludebutarenotlimitedto:attendance,
workinghours,diligence,attentiontodetailandtask,careandprotectionofheritage,safeguardingresearchand
intellectualproperty,andawarenessandcompliancewithallprotocols,documentation,andinstructionsgivenbythe
director(s).Wewillrespectallteammembers’rightstoIntellectualProperty(IP)andagreetocooperateandsharefreelyin
thespiritandintentofresearchandknowledgeforthegreatergoodofadvancingscienceandhumanity.
3) Wecommittothecareandprotectionofthepeopleandcommunitiesthatpartnerorhostus.Fieldworkdoesnotoccur
withoutpublic,community,andstakeholdersupport.Fromthepermittingprocessthroughtofieldwork,therearemany
whoassistus.Wearealwaysguestsonsomeoneelse’sland/waterandweareoftenstudyingsomeoneelse’sculture.We
willrespectlocalneeds,interests,andcustomsanddevelopmeaningfulrelationshipswithourpartnersandhoststhat
reachbeyondourpermittedtime.Wewillendeavortobeinclusiveandcollaborativeinallaspectsofourworkwiththe
communityandpartners.
4) Wecommittotherighttoasafe,respectful,non‐threateningworkingandfieldcampenvironment.Wecommitto
appropriaterelationswithallparticipantsincludingwritten,face‐to‐face(verbalandnon‐verbal),andsocialmedia
communication.Wedonottoleratedisrespectful,aggressive,threatening,harassing,discriminatory,andallotherharmful
behaviorsthatcompromiseindividualparticipantsandtheteam,regardlessofrole.Withthiszero‐tolerancepolicywewill
reportanyoftheabovebehaviorwewitnesstotheprojectdirector(s).
5) WecommittorepresentingtheUniversity,DepartmentandPrograminarespectfulandprofessionalway.Ourbehavior
reflectsontheinstitutionatalllevelsandwerecognizethatourprojectdirector(s),staff,andstudentsareboundbythe
ethicalandprofessionalcodesofinstitutionalaffiliations(UNESCOConventionontheProtectionofUnderwaterCultural
Heritage,RegisterofProfessionalArchaeologists,SocietyforHistoricalArchaeology).WerecognizethattheUniversityholds
codesandpoliciesthatgovernourbehaviorbothonandoff‐campus(StudentCodeofConductandRegulationonSexual
andGender‐BasedHarassmentandOtherFormsofInterpersonalViolence).Assuchwecommittoabidingbytheseethics
andbehaviorstandards.
6) Wecommittoenjoyingourexperienceandembracetheintensity,emotion,andexhaustionthatcomeswithfieldwork.
Weunderstandthatfieldworkischallengingandthatequipmentbreaks,peoplegettired,stresslevelselevate,andthings
happenthatareoutofourcontrol.Weendeavortocompromise,exercisepatienceandunderstanding,andbesolutionsto
theproblemwhennecessary.Wecommittonegotiatingthesechallengesinarespectfulandcaringway,respondingrather
thanreacting,andresolvingthatwhichcanberesolvedandacceptingthatwhichcannot.
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Bysigningbelow,youindicatedacceptanceofthefieldworkexpectationsandthezero‐tolerancepolicyoutlinedabove.Youagreeto
showrespecttoallregardlessoftheirroleandtobehaveinanappropriatemanner.
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Name:____________________________________
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Signature:_________________________________
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CreatedbyJenniferMcKinnon,EastCarolinaUniversity,PrograminMaritimeStudies(May2018)
AdoptedfromDigVentures’LearningAgreementhttps://www.dropbox.com/s/4aaoawddzqkr8bh/Learning%20Agreement_2018.pdf?dl=0andDr.SaraPerry’sSix
FieldworkExpectationshttps://saraperry.wordpress.com/2018/05/04/fieldwork‐code‐of‐conduct/