Introduction

The Wellesley College Computer Science Department community includes:

• Computer Science faculty and staff
• Computer Science and Media Arts and Sciences majors and minors
• all students enrolled in our classes
• students who are interested in taking our courses
• alums

As a community, we believe that equitable access to education is morally imperative and that students have the right to enjoy an inclusive educational environment. To follow through on this belief, we understand that we all need to be aware of our conscious and unconscious biases, as well as systemic biases within our institutions, and we must do our best to counteract and erode those biases. We will strive to be continuously and actively engaged in inclusive practices that will build a community where all feel welcome and empowered to learn and thrive. We acknowledge that applying these values will not be straightforward, and we must be ready to educate and support each other as we aspire to live up to the principles we agree on.

In outlining our community values, we intend this statement to be a catalyst for self-reflection and change and an acknowledgment that we will always have work to do in making our community a more inclusive space.

Community Values

Because each member of our community has their own unique perspective, particularly when it comes to how best to uphold our values, we hope to find common ground in these shared principles that can help us approach issues surrounding inclusion. These are not the only principles that members of our community share, but they are a ​minimal​ set of principles that are sufficient to inform our efforts at promoting inclusion in our department and community. We also hope that these values will help guide our interactions with the world outside of our community, including the broader society we live in and the specific technical communities that we are each members of.

Equitable opportunity. Every person should have equitable access to educational opportunities, and specifically to the opportunities that our department affords. Systems or actions that restrict access to educational opportunities in our department, especially to the degree to which they do so unevenly, run counter to this principle.

Respect for all. Every person deserves respect. Actions which demean or disrespect people run counter to this principle, and we denounce those in our broader society who advocate against the basic rights or dignity of anyone.

Free inquiry and expression. We welcome members of our community to freely pursue their own interests and express their perspectives in ways that are compatible with our first two principles of equitable opportunity and respect.