The Green College community values were first created by resident members in 2016. These values change over time with input from our whole community, particularly our Residents’ Council.
The Green College community values were written on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples. We acknowledge that we live and learn on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm territory, and we benefit greatly from this privilege. We strive to be good guests during our time here.
Our community is made up of students, scholars and community members from all over the world. As residents, staff and visitors at an interdisciplinary academic college, we all contribute to fostering an environment conducive to study, intellectual, and social exchange.
Be welcoming
We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports all of our community members, from every background and identity. We work to foster inclusion of all members, acknowledging and actively working to value diversity of culture, national origin, racialization, class, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of their identity. When we get it wrong, we work together to make it right.
Be considerate
We are privileged to live and interact within a beautiful space that is open to a wider community. Much of the work that goes into maintaining the college, its facilities and community, including work contributed by resident volunteers and university staff, can sometimes be taken for granted. We seek to recognize and appreciate these contributions, and to ensure that our actions are conducive to a cooperative and respectful environment for all who have reason to spend time in this space.
Respect our differences
We acknowledge and celebrate our differences. Respect that other community members may have a different experience or perspective from yours, and that learning about these differences is an important part of living together in an academic community. Our community members should feel able to share their ideas and experiences in the expectation that they will be fairly heard, even when opinions differ. Resident members should also feel safe that whether they confide in someone or choose not to share information about themselves, others will not share it without their permission.
Be willing and open to unlearn
Living in community can mean that you are exposed to new perspectives and new ways of being. Moreover, what we have learned over the course of our lives may be harmful to others. What you think you know about others may perpetuate stereotypes, or it may simply be wrong. Sometimes, we need to be open to unlearning what we think we know in order to relearn a new and better way of relating to others. Or, as Maya Angelou wrote “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Know your own boundaries and respect those of others
Boundaries are the limits that we set to cultivate healthy relationships with others and to create safety for ourselves. Respect for boundaries is integral to maintaining a safe and inclusive community. You are entitled to set your own boundaries and you are expected to respect the boundaries established by others.
Be involved
By choosing to live at Green College, you have made a commitment to being actively involved in our community. Resident members contribute in many ways, from serving as a director of the dining society, to participating in committees, to giving a member speaker series talk, to helping a friend who’s having a tough time.
Address conflict early
In a small and closeknit community, conflict can arise from time to time. When conflict is not proactively addressed, it can have a ripple effect throughout the community. If you experience a conflict you can’t resolve, make use of the conflict resolution supports that exist at the College such as by talking to a Green Lantern or reaching out to a staff member. UBC’s Equity and Inclusion Office can also provide support for those experiencing community conflict.