PhD Balance - Community Guidelines
PhD Balance is a safe space for individuals to share their stories, find community, and access resources. We engage with hundreds of people every day through comments, emails, DMs, our Discord server, etc. If you are new to this community, welcome! As a member of this community, please read and follow our Community Guidelines.
This is a safe space
We do not tolerate hate-speech or violent language. We recognize that some people may not be intentionally trying to hurt others. We ask that you respect the stories that are shared. If you have any conflicting thoughts or emotions regarding any of our posts, please take some time on your own to process before commenting or sending DMs. If you engage in negative or hateful ways, PhD Balance reserves the right to delete your messages, and/or remove you from the community.
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Respect anonymous contributors
Some people who choose to share their stories may want to remain anonymous. The PhD Balance Team respects this decision and we expect our community members to do so as well.
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Use appropriate language
Mental health stigma is rampant in academia - language contributes! We find it very important for us to be aware of how we address those with mental health conditions. Please only speak from personal or professional experience and be careful with language.
For instance:
~ Instead of “Our professors are bipolar” you can say “Our professors are unpredictable”
~ Instead of “I’m so addicted to Netflix you can say “I’m hooked by this show”
~ Always respect peoples language choices for themselves whether person-first or identity-first:
Person-first: Puts the person before their condition or disability
Identity/Disability-first: Acknowledges that disability/conditions are part of the person
~ As a default, PhD Balance, will use person-first language as most people use this when talking about mental health
Provide constructive feedback
~ The PhD Balance Team is made up of imperfect humans! This means that there may be times when we make mistakes. Please give us feedback and help us correct ourselves. You can email us at email@phdbalance.com.
If you find yourself in disagreement with a community member and/or PhD Balance team member we ask that you create space for a dialogue whereby both parties are heard and respected.
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The PhD Balance Team cannot provide medical advice and/or medical resources.
Our mission is to provide space to help graduate students and destigmatize difficult conversations, such as those around mental health. If we are unable to provide the help you are seeking, we will suggest you speak with your university and/or local healthcare provider.
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No Discrimination
PhD Balance is dedicated to serving all academics in their endeavors to be successful. This means that we do not discriminate based on race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other socioeconomic status. We believe in equity and inclusion above all else; by sharing diverse viewpoints, we can all learn and gain support. Further, we do not allow discrimination by others on our platforms. We strongly align with Brené Brown's Research and Ethics community message around diversity and equity.
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We reserve the right to remove anyone from the community who does not follow these guidelines or for any other reason. If you have concerns about interactions, please send us an email at email@phdbalance.com.