The Brenda Meehan Social Justice-In-Action Grant provides an unique opportunity to undergraduate students to bring together both an academic and activist perspective on pressing public policy issues that face the United States and the world. According to their website, these issues include healthcare, immigration, harassment, criminal justice reform and climate change. By no means is this an exhaustive list; qualifying for the project only means that the subject has to relate to a current public policy issue.
The selection committee for the grant looks at five key factors according to their website. The first key factor is the incorporation of “both academic and activist social justice perspectives in meaningful ways.” According to Lauren Jordahl, the academic administrator for the Sociology department, Social Justice and Social Policy (SJSP) minor and the Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies minor at Brandeis, the committee is looking for student programs that bring both of these aspects to the Brandeis community.
“We encourage students to make connections with other students to put on these types of events but also to bring in other organizations and clubs and have it be a campus initiative,” Jordahl told The Brandeis Hoot.
The second and third factor is the involvement of the Brandeis campus and community. The event must be free to all members of the Brandeis community to incorporate as many people as possible. “Students oftentimes have phenomenal ideas but lack the proper funds to make that happen,” explained Jordahl. “So if you have the idea, we are available as resources to help them frame it.”
The fourth and fifth factors are the collaboration between student organizations, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff. Jordahl explained that a lot of the projects they fund are extensions of ongoing initiatives that students may already be involved in and want to explore further. “Any student organized event that could bring social justice-inspired activities to campus are encouraged,” said Jordahl.
The steering committee that chooses the projects reviews the proposals to see the impact that each would have on the Brandeis community. “We really look at what we think could be expanded as an initiative brought to campus and how could the campus community benefit,” explained Jordahl. “We really like the collaborative nature of students working with other students, involving other organizations and groups on campus. Just bringing people together as part of the initiative around social justice is really important.”
Jordahl welcomes all students who are interested in applying to reach out to her or Melissa Stimell, the program chair for the SJSP program, for any assistance or guidance that they might need in coming up with their proposals. “We are very hands on with the students if they want that or need the expertise or guidance along the way so we can really work with once we decide that we are going to fund their project,” explained Jordahl.
Students interested in applying need to submit their application, which contains five parts. The first is contact information for the applicant as well as any co-sponsoring clubs or organizations. Next is a one paragraph summary of the proposed event and a brief statement that provides background on the experience of off-campus speakers, if applicable.
Applicants will also need to provide an itemized budget estimate for their event, along with any other sources of funding. Finally, a 500 word statement that describes the “organization and anticipated impact of the event(s), the full set of anticipated participants, and whether or not off-campus participants have already committed to participate,” according to the website.
Students applying can receive up to $1500 to support their events. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8 and should be sent to Stimell at stimell@brandeis.edu.
