reading the above would certainly make me feel much more at ease. In any event, my first impression was merely the impression of one (worried) person, and I am glad that you do not seem to have been negatively affected by the comment.

Very best wishes.

I take seriously the points you raised, and can offer some clarifications. Our project has passed clearance through the State University of New York Institutional Review Board, as an “anonymous Internet Survey,” which by federal guidelines does not require a formal informed consent procedure. By the same token, I agree about the need to address *confidentiality* issues – hence the text on the first page of the survey (which I’ve now also added to the official SUNY survey website). In preparing and piloting the promotional text and research instrument, I consulted with Canadian and U.S.-based social movement scholars, and received useful feedback of the U.S. Social Forum’s executive committee as well. In addition, we carried out pilot runs with various NGO reps to identify and address concerns, practical and ethical, which might emerge while taking the survey. The excellent feedback we received has, I believe, been a big part of the warm reception to this survey thus far.

You also asked about funding: Since this project has no special funding (and we are very clear about our status as a professor and student), we have followed HHS guidelines and made no mention of project financing. (This would amount to stating that my salary is allowing me to carry out a project with a student.) I take your point seriously, though, and will think about how we could address it.

Thanks very much for your comments and please feel free to contact me directly if you’d like (jungeb@newpaltz.edu).

Best regards,
Ben Junge
SUNY-New Paltz

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