Fostering safe and inclusive fieldwork for KU researchers

From: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2024, 9 a.m.
To: KU Lawrence/Edwards faculty & staff

New planning initiative effective May 1

The University of Kansas is committed to fostering safe and inclusive environments anywhere KU research and education are conducted, including field sites. This commitment aligns with priorities and emerging requirements of the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, NASA and other funding agencies and professional organizations — as well as the Jayhawks Rising priority to build and support healthy and vibrant communities.

To help you ensure safe and inclusive environments for your research teams and meet expanding funding agency expectations, the Office of Research has launched a Safe & Inclusive Fieldwork (SAIF) web portal. It includes resources to help you envision, plan and maintain safe and inclusive research environments, particularly for off-campus or off-site work. KU researchers who frequently engage in fieldwork helped develop the resources on the site, which include a:

  • Comprehensive checklist for safe and inclusive fieldwork
  • KU SAIF card template to customize and print for field team members
  • Template to meet NSF requirements for safe and inclusive working environments
  • List of key KU policies
  • Training and education opportunities
  • Reporting mechanisms and resolution procedures for various forms of misconduct
  • Care and support resources
  • More to come

Effective May 1, principal investigators on all new proposals for sponsored activity that involves fieldwork will be strongly encouraged to create a Safe & Inclusive Fieldwork Plan using the KU SAIF Checklist as a template or guide.Note that SAIF plans are currently required for some NSF BIO and GEO solicitations and will be required for all NSF proposals beginning in May. Although KU investigators will only be prompted to create a SAIF plan when submitting new proposals in Streamlyne, research teams for existing awards involving fieldwork are also strongly encouraged to develop and implement plans.

For the purposes of this initiative, fieldwork refers to any situation where KU researchers will be collecting data, information or samples off-campus or off-site. This includes work performed in traditional outdoor field settings both nearby (e.g., KU Field Station) and far (e.g., Antarctica), as well as K-12 schools, clinics, archives, vessels and aircraft — any place where research teams will be away from the immediate network of campus resources available to support safety and inclusion or respond quickly to emergencies. This definition is consistent with the National Science Foundation’s definition of off-campus and off-site research.

We created a brief orientation video to introduce resources on KU's Safe & Inclusive Fieldwork web portal and build your confidence in using them effectively. We are also arranging opportunities for PIs in similar disciplines/field settings to collaborate on common planning elements (details to come). Our goal is to help principal investigators develop a SAIF plan quickly and thoughtfully, which can be revised over time for specific proposals. In the meantime, you can find additional clarity and guidance by consulting the Safe & Inclusive Fieldwork FAQs. Please let us know what questions you have and what additional resources might be helpful as you create and execute your plans.

We extend our gratitude to the Safe & Inclusive Fieldwork Task Force for helping create these resources, and to campus partners in Human Resource Management, Civil Rights & Title IX, Faculty Affairs, and Audit, Risk & Compliance for their collaboration.

And we thank each of you for the careful thought and time you will devote to optimizing safety and inclusion for your research teams. Your efforts are appreciated as we collaborate to ensure all Jayhawk researchers have the greatest opportunities to meet their academic and professional aspirations while contributing to discoveries that make the world a better place.

Respectfully,
Belinda & Mindie

Belinda Sturm
Interim Vice Chancellor for Research

Mindie Paget
Assistant Vice Chancellor for
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging