Canadian Association of Research Administrators' Code of Conduct
1.0 Purpose
The Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA) is a member led association and all members are an involved in the association’s mission, strategic plan, programs, services and success. This policy expands on the Code of Ethics by providing specific statements of behavior relevant to membership in CARA. These standards are considered to be fundamental and of a type that that no CARA member would violate.
2.0 Policy Statement
2.1 CARA members will always act respectfully toward fellow CARA members which includes treating all other members fairly, honestly and respectfully.
2.2 CARA members shall not engage in behavior that would detract from a positive experience being available to fellow CARA members and others attending CARA events, participating in CARA programs and/or using CARA services.
2.3 CARA members shall comply with the letter and spirit of all CARA policies.
2.4 Each CARA member shall take responsibility for his/her actions and/or decisions.
2.5 CARA members shall refrain from inappropriate personal behavior while involved in any CARA or CARA-related activities and will not engage in behaviour which would constitute personal harassment. Personal Harassment includes any behavior, whether expressed verbally, in writing or physically, that is discriminatory in nature, based upon another member’s race, appearance, ancestry, place of origin, political beliefs, religion, marital status, physical or mental disability, sex, age or sexual orientation. It can include malicious or intimidating gestures or actions, threats, coercion, bullying, threatened or actual assault (whether verbal or physical), humiliation, insults, gossip, slander or unwelcomed advances which cause or could be expect to cause significant distress in the recipient individual.
2.6 CARA has a zero tolerance policy with respect to Personal Harassment. Personal Harassment in any form is strictly prohibited and may be grounds for termination of membership or in the case of non-members who are attending events, may be grounds to preclude CARA membership and/or preclude future participation in CARA events.
2.7 Strict adherence to the Code of Conduct is essential to the activity and reputation of CARA and observance of the Code of Conduct and other related policies are a requirement of membership in CARA.
2.8 The Executive Committee is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Code of Conduct and all policies of CARA.
2.9 The Code of Conduct shall be reviewed in one year.
Approved by the CARA Executive Board: 5 April 2016 and 11 July 2017
In the event of inconsistency between the French and English version, the English language version shall prevail.
Member Registration
The membership year is April 1st to March 31st of the next year. Membership fees are $175 before tax. Fees are collected annually at the beginning of the membership year and membership fees are not pro-rated.
CARA awards are an important part of our annual program as they recognize the immense effort our volunteers put into this organization. Receiving this award is important to me as it shows my superiors that CARA is valuable to me and that makes me valuable to my employer.
Frances Chandler
As a recipient of both CARA’s Research Management Excellence Award, as well as the Dan Chase Distinguished Service Award, I have felt a renewed sense of pride in the work that I have done to advance the profession of research administration, and remain highly appreciative of CARA’s acknowledgement.CARA’s recognition has broadened my network, enhanced my marketability as a professional and, most importantly, allowed me to grow as a leader in our field. It is an honour to be recognized by one’s peers!
Katie Porter
Receiving the Research Management Excellence Award in 2015 was a wonderful recognition by my peers as I began my 20th year in my career in research management. I was pleased, honoured and excited about the award. But more than that I was energized by this accolade. The fact that it came from peers made me recognize the importance of maintaining my networks among my peers who are always there to answer my questions and provide critical insight from their own perspectives. It also made me realize I have an obligation to return that energy and continue my role as a mentor to newer research administration professionals both in a formal role as a mentor in the CARA accreditation program but also informally among colleagues in CARA and internationally in ARMA and ARMS.
David J Phipps
Truth be told, I bought the CARA publication because I contributed to the particular e-book,Career Journeys: Leaders Share Different Career Journeys in Research Administration, the third in this CARA initiative, so perhaps the purchase was fuelled by a bit of narcissism on my part.After reading through it, though, I was honoured to be included in this group of “leaders,” which I don’t think truly applies to me and is probably a detail I missed when I sent my contribution, and to be among a grouping that pretty much all have PhDs, something in which I am also lacking.But what impressed me about this publication is the diversity of people’s backgrounds and the variety of career paths that led them to their current post, something that I personally find fascinating. The recurring thread for those featured was that, for the most part, none had intentionally pursued a career in research administration, but all the various paths led them to this common ground. I also like that each entry had the writer’s distinct voice and personal story. I would recommend the book to anyone who is interested in learning about others’ career paths, and who might want to find inspiration for how the amalgamation of various past experiences contributes to an individual’s overall evolution in employment.
Carl DeMarco, University of Toronto
I have enjoyed my volunteer service to CARA. During the past two years, I have presented seven webinars for CARA. They provided an opportunity to learn the nuances of Canadian research administration and, importantly, to meet interesting colleagues through the online medium.I hope to continue my relationship with CARA by preparing further webinars on topics of interest to a broad CARA audience.
Dean Smith
The Certificate Research Administration looks like a really exciting course. It looks quite intensive. The units look very interesting and very applicable to my position. The system is so easily laid out for students and the requirements are clearly stated. I really appreciate that the course is so well organized.
Karen Mosier, University of Saskatchewan
CARA has been a wonderful learning and engagement experience for me. I
attended my first national conference very early in my career and I decided
that I wanted to be more engaged with the organization. I volunteered to do
a little work with the Project Management SIG and then decided to place my
name forward for service on the Executive. I was delighted and humbled to
be appointed to the board and contributed some time on the PD Committee and
conference organizing committees during my tenure. It was a truly enjoyable
and rewarding experience meeting new colleagues and just immersing myself in
and absorbing every drop of wisdom and experience with all of the amazing
people who are and define CARA.
Dean Strickland
Thanks to CARA's outstanding community of Research Administrators, I have been able to work on my professional development through webinars, recommended resources and special interest groups, just to name a few.CARA's mentoring program has also allowed me to develop many new skills and to find the support, motivation and positive role models that I had been looking for across Canada.I am obviously very grateful for all the opportunities that have been offered to me by CARA not only as a volunteer, but also as a member.
Karin Dupeyron
Being part of CARA has been a very positive experience for me - I’ve learned, loved and grown in research administration a lot since I’ve become a member. Conferences are wonderful platforms for networking, sharing experiences, identifying pain points, discussions of various topics from ethics to metrics and getting first-hand information on TriCouncil changes/updates.
Nur Eisma UBC / C&W Coordinator, Pre & Post Awards | Office of Research Services (ORS) & Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI)
I have been a member of CARA since 2003 and I have been involved as a presenter, session organizer, on the executive, as a CARA representative at tech transfer and export control conferences and even as a talent show host! I have attended INORMS and brought the experience of CARA to our research admin colleagues at ARMA in the UK and ARMS in Australia. Participating in CARA has always provided me with a sense of community. I have put questions up on the list serve, responded to questions when I felt I had anything relevant to say and I have folks I know I can call when I have questions that I am not yet ready to write down publicly. CARA helps me and my colleagues maximize the impact if our services for our researchers and our institution.
David J. Phipps, Ph.D., MBA Executive Director, Research & Innovation Services | Division of Vice-President Research & Innovation Office of Research Services YORK UNIVERSITY
Being an active member of CARA is a great opportunity for professional growth, and I continue to reap the benefits of being a part of this dynamic network of Research Administrators.
Katie Porter, MBA, MA, B.Ed Director of Research Administration | Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
Through CARA I have met several Colleagues who I can also count as friends. The best part of CARA is networking with counterparts at other Institutions and sharing common issues and solutions. Networking through CARA greatly enhanced my knowledge from day 1.
Angela Zeno, BA, CPA, CGA Manager, Research | Accounting York University
Through CARA, I can access highly educational webinars on very relevant topics. I am connected to an online community of research administrators, funders, and consultants from across Canada. It has been a very effective platform to pose questions and find solutions.
Deepak S. Gupta, D. Sc., P. Eng. (AB) Director, Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Services (ARIES) | Centennial College
Long before there was any formal professional development available for research administrators in Canada there was CARA. CARA was, and is, a network of people who are generous with their time and expertise. When we are all pressured by time, and challenged with new and difficult situations, having this group of peer experts has been invaluable. Truly we have much to learn from each other and CARA as it is evolving continues to provide a forum of this to happen.
Sandra Crocker Associate Vice-President | Carleton University
