Moorea Coral Reef (MCR) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site Policies
The MCR LTER has established several policies that guide and govern its affiliated researchers and their activities. The Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research site has developed several policy documents to assist with program management and governance. These policies are implemented by the MCR LTER Executive Committee following input provided by the members of the MCR LTER site Standing Committees and MCR LTER site Researchers. These policies can be found listed here.
Moorea vs. Mo'orea
The MCR LTER program respects the sense of place tenet of Tahitian identity, which is rooted in their deep reverence for their land and surrounding waters. In recognition of the great cultural significance of place and place names, the leadership of the MCR LTER site asked local authorities, island residents, Polynesian collaborators and other members of the Tahitian community how they would like the MCR to spell the island name where our site is situated. It turns out that at this moment in time, there is not just one culturally correct answer because the local population itself is strongly divided on the preferred spelling. For more information on the cultural background and complexities of transcribing the spelling of words such as Moorea in Tahitian into written English, please click here.
The MCR LTER Community Philosophy and Code of Conduct
The fundamental DNA of the MCR LTER program is to foster a welcoming, supportive and inclusive community that embraces the diversity of our society so that diverse perspectives, backgrounds and experiences power excellence in our core research and training missions. The MCR LTER Code of Conduct is intended to help promote an inclusive and nurturing culture by prohibiting all forms of harassment, intimidation, intolerance and disrespect for any reason. To read the MCR LTER site Code of Conduct in full, please click here.
MCR LTER Reporting Guidelines for Incidents involving Sexual Harassment or Assault
As employees of academic institutions in the US and participants in a federally-funded project, participants are bound by the requirements and expectations of Title IX, which states (in part) “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Title IX applies to our behavior toward each other, toward non-MCR LTER scientists, and toward anyone else we encounter while operating in the U.S. or when deploying or deployed in the field. For more information on reporting including a listing of Title IX offices with contact information by campus, please click here.
Policy on Use of MCR LTER Equipment/Instruments
The MCR LTER site has an extensive range of equipment and scientific instruments available to MCR LTER researchers. To help prioritize use of these resources, the MCR LTER Executive Committee has developed policy regarding the use of MCR LTER site equipment and instrumentation. For a full description of this policy, please click here.
MCR LTER Boating Policy
The MCR LTER site maintains a large fleet of research vessels ranging in size from 13' to 26' feet (3.9m to 7.9m). Operation of these vessels is governed by the University of California (UC) Enterprise Dive and Boat Safety Program and MCR LTER site boating policies. For more information on the UC Enterprise Dive and Boat Safety Program, please click here. To read the MCR LTER site Boating Policy, please click here.