Re: [AUDITORY] Women in Music Information Retrieval (WiMIR) mentoring program sign-up 2024

Dear colleagues,

Last week, I made an announcement regarding the opening of the 2024 WiMIR mentoring program, and I received the following email then (I am omitting the source out of courtesy):

"honestly, if you want to make a space for women, do not bring males with "female" identitis, or "non-binary" males. That is the most mysoginist approach I have ever experienced.

Women are not a catch-all category."

Rather than directly replying to that person, I would like to take this opportunity to give some clarifications about the program to all the members of the auditory community. While WiMIR was originally created to encourage the inclusion of women in music information retrieval, the mentoring program has since expanded to be more inclusive of other minorities as well, in order to promote more diversity in MIR, and also because every junior member should be given the chance to seek for guidance regardless of their origins, affinities, or beliefs, especially if they feel underrepresented in their community. In other words, this program is intended for women AND allies. In addition, the registration is completely voluntary, the signup form allows the mentee to list some preferences regarding the mentor they will be paired with, and there is no obligation other than the recommendation of having 4 remote meetings during the duration of the program. Nevertheless, I apologize if there was any confusion and I am sorry if anybody got offended.

On a more personal note, I would like to add that I have been a member of the auditory community for many years now, I believe that this is a community full of intelligent people who are open-minded and wishful to help each other. I value and welcome anybody's comment, advice, and criticism, only hoping that, if there is a discussion, it would happen in a respectful and constructive manner. I also would like to point out that the organizers and mentors in the WiMIR mentoring program are all volunteers who have no agenda other than trying their best to help their community, especially their younger peers. We are always looking for ways to make this program better, so we are always open to suggestions, feel free to contact us at wimir-mentoring@xxxxxxxxx. Thank you for taking the time for reading this, and remember to sign up, if you wish to!

Sign up to GET a mentor here: https://forms.gle/bqcevqrtpTnaAkPJ7
Sign up to BE a mentor here: https://forms.gle/hktTmSrJC1UFGwhY7
(Signups close on November 28, 2023)

Respectfully,

Zafar Rafii

On Tue, Nov 7, 2023 at 12:01 PM Zafar Rafii <zafarrafii@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

(Apologies for cross-posting)

Dear friends,

We are preparing for the eighth round of the Women in Music Information Retrieval (WiMIR) mentoring program, to begin in January 2024. With this email, we kindly invite previous and new mentors and mentees to sign up for the upcoming round through the forms linked below in this email.

The WiMIR mentoring program connects women, trans, and non-binary; underrepresented minorities, regions, and backgrounds; students, postdocs, early-stage researchers, faculty, and industry employees; to more senior women and allies in MIR and related fields who are dedicated to promoting the role of, and increasing opportunities for, underrepresented community members. Mentors will share their experiences and offer guidance to support mentees in achieving and exceeding their goals and aspirations. By connecting individuals of different backgrounds and expertise, this program strengthens networks within the community, both in academia and industry.

Time commitment: four remote meetings between January 2024 and end of August 2024.

Who is eligible?
- Any junior community member, especially underrepresented members, including women, trans, non-binary; underrepresented minorities, regions, and backgrounds; undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, early-stage researchers, faculty, and industry employees; may sign up as mentees.
- More senior community members, such as graduate students, researchers, faculty, and industry employees, of any gender, background, and expertise, may sign up as mentors.

Sign up to GET a mentor here: https://forms.gle/bqcevqrtpTnaAkPJ7
Sign up to BE a mentor here: https://forms.gle/hktTmSrJC1UFGwhY7

Signups close on November 28, 2023. Mentor/mentee matches will be announced in January 2024.

For more information about the program, please see: https://wimir.wordpress.com/mentoring-program/

For any question, issue, or concern, feel free to email us: wimir-mentoring@xxxxxxxxx

We look forward to your response and commitment to continuing the mentoring program!

Zafar Rafii, on behalf of the WiMIR Mentoring Program Committee
Francesca Ronchini, Yun-Ning (Amy) Hung, Michael Mandel, and Zafar Rafii