November 6, 2020

Dear MIIS community, 

In response to the chain of events detailed in Jasmine Sturdifen’s presentation to Student Council, the METALab Graduate Assistants stand by the Black student body at MIIS. We also express great disappointment with the MIIS administration’s lack of transparency in their response. As a student-run research center, we know from lessons and first-hand experience that inclusivity and transparency are pillars for accountability and stakeholder engagement. In the virtual space that we call on as our MIIS community, we, as students, need indication that we are heard and that our voices are welcomed. There is still much more to be done to address anti-racism and the only way forward is to move collectively. 

In addition, METALab is committed to establish a series of blog posts and dedicate a section on our website on the topic of anti-racism and ethics. The remainder of Fall 2020 will be dedicated to creating a strategy to curate resources, literature and relevant sources. This will be a permanent tab on the site to address race, power, and social research in an effort to shine a light on data collection methods and the importance of incorporating anti-racist work & principles into social research design, data collection, and analysis. Curated with open input from students, faculty, and alumni, this will become part of routine staff training at the METALab and accessible to the open public.

In solidarity, 

The METALab Graduate Assistants