University of Alaska Offers $1,000 to Students Who 'Advance Social Justice'

Students at the University of Alaska Anchorage are eligible for a $1,000 award if they can demonstrate that they are “significantly contribute to enhancing diversity” on campus.

To qualify for the $1,000 award, students must write an essay explaining how they “advance social justice and diversity within the larger community.” According to the university’s website, the deadline for applying is Friday, December 8. Applicants also must maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA.

Through three short essay questions, students must demonstrate that they “[increase] visibility of diverse people, cultures, and/or perspectives,” “[create] a welcoming environment,” and or “[represent] diverse student voices through advocacy and participation in UAA student organizations.” Each of the short essays is only required to be 150 words long.

“The UAA Diversity Action Council will review applications and grant tuition of up to $1,000 to the top applicants,” the website reads.”Students from the UAA Anchorage campus and community campuses are eligible. Award recipients must meet eligibility criteria including a 2.5 cumulative GPA, Satisfactory Academic Progress and admitted to a UAA certificate or degree program.”

“No demographic is chosen over another for the award,” David Thorn, the director of the university’s multicultural center, told Campus Reform, explaining that instead applicants are selected “dependent on the quality of the application.”

This isn’t the first instance in which a university has offered rewards to students to engage in progressive activism. Earlier this year, Case Western offered students a $500 grant to attend a social justice conference. In September, Bryn Mawr College announced that they would pay students an hourly wage to “celebrate diversity” on campus.

The University of Arizona announced last year that they would pay students ten dollars per hour to be a university-sponsored “Social Justice Activist.” Many took issue with the program’s implementation at a state university due to the absence of a similar program offering for conservative and libertarian students interested in political activism.

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