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Privacy Statement

Your application and all materials attached will be shared with the committee deciding the award you've applied for. Future use of these materials will be requested directly from you by the deciding committee if necessary.

Please note that if you apply to more than one, you must submit a separate application to each opportunity.

Covid-19 - Student Grant Update

At this time, we are asking students to consider CDC guidelines on best practices for further Covid-19 prevention when crafting their proposals. This includes guidelines on limiting social gatherings to less than 10 people at a time and maintaining social distancing. Proposals that do not follow these guidelines will not be funded at this time.

ABOUT CESJ’S MINI-GRANT

The Office of Civic Engagement & Social Justice at Eugene Lang College (Lang CESJ) offers small grants to individual and groups of students to support student programming, research costs, activism, creative projects, or other work that focuses on social justice or civic engagement. 

Please fully read the information below before submitting your application. It is highly encouraged to meet with a CESJ staff member prior to submitting an application. 

Past awards have funded needs like: production costs for an exhibition on Salvadoran migration and displacement; supplies for a theater project with young women in I Have A Dream Foundation's programs; food for a student-organized conference on urban community and environmental health.

ELIGIBILITY AND GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• Individual students can apply for up to $750 per semester. Individual student is defined as a student currently enrolled and will be matriculating from Lang.
• Groups are eligible to apply for up to $1,500 per semester. Groups are defined as including at least one Lang student (the applicant) and one other current New School student. Groups can have outside TNS members so long as the above requirement is met.
• Priority is given to students who have not previously received mini-grant funding from CESJ in the immediate semester prior.
• Applicants must identify a Project Advisor on the application. A Project Advisor must be a New School staff, faculty or mentor (cannot be an undergraduate student) and is involved with or has knowledge of your project. If you do not have a Project Advisor in mind, you MUST meet with a CESJ staff member prior to applying so that a CESJ staff member will be assigned as your advisor. If your project is awarded, your advisor will be notified and you both will fill out a form delineating expectations of the relationship for our awareness.
• May Mini-Grant will give priority to summer projects. 

AWARD BUDGET ELIGIBILITY

Below is a list of items that the mini-grant can and cannot cover. It is required as part of your application to submit an itemized budget that clearly explains what your expenses are in relation to your project. We HIGHLY recommend checking with a CESJ staff member if you have questions regarding the items below.

Awards are intended to cover the following expenses: 

• Material fees and costs  needed to ensure the project’s existence
• example: art supplies, website domains, space rentals, equipment etc
• Guest speaker honoraria and fees 
• Catering
• example; meals for interviewees, event catering etc
• Transportation
• example: personal or guest
• Short term projects or smaller components of long term projects 

Expenses in the following categories are generally not allowable, unless they can be justified as uniquely essential to the project:

• Compensation in the form of salary for time worked on project (for self or others). You cannot request that the mini-grant pays for anyone’s salaried labor 
• Compensation in the form of salary or wage payments to other students for research or performance related work. This is almost never allowable.
• New School tuition and fees 
• Study abroad program fees/tuition 
• Personal equipment that can be obtained in school - particularly large equipment
• example: cameras, projectors, and other equipment of the like
• Funds that have been requested and confirmed by other New School funding sources 
• example: funds obtained and or applied for through the ELOA or Student Senate
• Expenses that go beyond a graduation date at the New School 

 

Note: graduating seniors seeking to finish a project or participate in internship in the summer following graduation are eligible so long as the timeline is made clear and does not extend past the fall. 

 

2020 - 2021 Academic Year Changes

Due to covid-19 causing the campus to be remote, we recognize that award expenses may look different this year. Personal equipment is allowable, based on the justification made in the project proposal. 

 

FUNDING INELIGIBILITY
If a CESJ mini-grant includes requests for prohibited items, said specific item will not be considered for funding.

Additionally, students also must make clear if they have or plan to solicit additional funding. Lack of disclosure may result in an ineligible application. 

DEADLINES 

Mini-Grants are accepted in monthly deadline cycles. Deadlines are always announced and updated on the Lang CESJ social media sites. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/langcesj/?hl=en (@langcesj) 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/langcesj?lang=en (@LangCESJ) 

Lang CESJ Website: https://www.langcesj.org/ 

We encourage students to apply as early as possible to allow room for planning, publicizing, and implementation, and for award disbursement should you be chosen. Students are also HIGHLY encouraged to meet with CESJ staff to review applications. 

PLEASE NOTE: Award disbursement may take up to 8 weeks, and is sent via postal mail as a check. We encourage you to consider this as you plan your budget and timing (i.e. immediate payment may not be possible, so take into account that you may receive your award as a reimbursement). If you have concerns about this, don't hesitate to reach out to us. 

If you have any questions about CESJ Mini-Grants or this application form, please contact us at langcesj@newschool.edu. 

EXPECTATIONS IF AWARDED

Grant recipients must document and reflect upon their project, working closely with Lang CESJ staff to do so. If you are approved for a grant, you should expect to: 

• Meet with a CESJ staff member to review the project, expectations and pay questions.
• Communicate with Lang CESJ staff in a timely manner and proactively share updates. There will be a mandatory post-award meeting after you have been notified of approval to further discuss the award. Outside of that meeting, we encourage you to meet with us throughout the duration of your award.   
• Complete a reflection assignment (with flexible format, e.g. writing, video-blogging, etc.) within 45 days of project completion. 
• Apply to be part of the annual Lang Dean's Honor Symposium in the year following your project (if applicable). 
• Participation in the CESJ Fall or Spring Mixer. 

For projects taking place on campus and/or which involve space booking or public programming, Lang CESJ requests acknowledgement as a co-sponsor of the project/event.

Thank you!

Thank you for applying. We recognize your dedication to social justice work here at The New School and beyond, and look forward to reviewing your application. If you have further questions, please email Natasha Rivera at riveran@newschool.edu , or Asia Elena Gerosa at langCESJ@newschool.edu . 

Additionally, please ensure receipt of your submission by emailing langCESJ@newschool.edu  for verification.

*all awards are subject to taxation*

Please carefully read the information below. If you have questions, you can email langcesj@newschool.edu.

Components of the Lang CESJ Summer Fellows program:

1) A grant of up to $2500 for students who are pursuing an unpaid or underpaid summer internship focused on social justice.

2) Reflection, documentation, and sharing of learning from the internship with students, faculty, and staff at The New School during four touchpoints:

 

(a) A mid-summer virtual gathering for fellows 
(b) A written mid-point reflection form (to be submitted online)

(c) End of summer evaluation
(d) Participation in the Fall 2021 CESJ Mixer and submission of an application to the Lang Dean’s Honor Symposium

Award

Grants of up to $2,500 are available. 

The application provides space for you to indicate the amount of hours, date range, and the scope of your internship. These factors will influence the amount of your grant.

Eligibility & Requirements

Who is eligible?

Currently enrolled Lang and Lang/Parsons BAFA students are eligible. Priority will be given to applicants who have not received funding from Lang CESJ in the 2020-21 academic year, undocumented students or students with precarious status, and to applicants with a 3.0 GPA or higher. 

Graduating seniors may also apply, but they will be asked to complete more extensive reflections and additional materials (in lieu of participation in fall 2021 in-person activities)

Grant funds cannot be applied to tuition.

What kinds of summer internships are eligible?

Part- or full-time internships of at least 130 hours over the span of the summer, are unpaid, and are dedicated to a social justice mission are eligible. Internships can be located anywhere, not just New York City.

Applicants should already have been offered and accepted an internship when they apply, and should have relevant documentation (e.g. offer letter/email, description of internship).

Requirements

Fellows must:

1. Actively communicate with Lang CESJ staff during the application process, and respond in a timely matter to inquiries
2. Participate in virtual mid-summer gathering for fellows where they will reflect on and share out their work (date TBD in July and August)
3. Complete an online, written, midpoint reflection form and end of summer evaluation about their internship experience and CESJ summer grant program (to be submitted in early July and early September respectively)
4. Present documentation of their work during a Fall 2021 presentation and mixer event (date TBD in September)
5. Submit an application to be a presenter in the college's Dean's Honor Symposium (applications are made available in late Fall 2021 for participation in the Spring 2022 symposium)

Fellows may also be specially invited to participate in additional summer programming (e.g. brown bag lunches, career development workshops) offered by Lang CESJ or the Lang Internship Seminar Program, have access to reading and workshop materials that enable critical reflection on their internship experience, and are encouraged to make appointments with Lang CESJ staff for ongoing support.

Application Materials 

1. General Applicant Information

2. Summer Internship Details & Name/Contact Info of Supervisor

3. Short Essay Responses

4. Resume & Unofficial Transcript

Application form

Please complete all fields in the form below. Applications are due by TBD - Spring 2021 by 3:00 pm EST. Late applications will not be accepted.  All applications will be submitted via this online form.  We strongly encourage you to apply as early as possible.

Summer Internship Details

Please describe in as much detail as possible the internship you will be pursuing this summer.

Short Essay Responses - Please Respond in 250 words or less.

How is this summer internship connected to a social justice mission, vision, practice or set of values?

Supplementary Materials

Please upload the following information:

1. Unofficial Transcript (PDF) (this transcript can be an unofficial version; we are seeking a description of your coursework and your GPA)
2. Email Internship Offer Letter (PDF)

Spring 2021 Civic Liberal Arts Courses:

Green Roof Ecology, Timon McPherson and Brooklyn Grange, UENV (4 cr)

What's the Story with Anne Bogart, Sarah Montague and SITI Co., LTHR (1 cr)

Reimagining Schools, Cecilia Rubino and EXALT, LTHR (1 cr)

Sanctuary as Practice, Alexandra Delano & Abou Farman and New Sanctuary Coalition, UGLB (4 cr)

Scene Study: Political Plays, Zishan Ugurlu and La MaMa, LTHR (4 cr)

Supplementary Materials

Please include with your application a resume or CV, along with one work sample that demonstrates relevant knowledge. Depending on the course to which you are applying, this could be a writing sample, a sound or video recording, a link to a webpage/online media, etc. Please attach supplementary files below, or use the field provided to share a link to an online resource.

The spring 2021 Lang College Dean’s Honor Symposium is a conference for students to present their academic work and co-curricular projects to the Lang community.

The application process is designed to identify outstanding and unique undergraduate research and creative projects. Proposals from any academic discipline or inter-disciplines are invited. Proposals that explore critical histories as well as contemporary social issues are highly encouraged because at Lang, social justice is at the core of our liberal arts education.

By participating you will gain valuable experience presenting your work and engaging the public, as well as building your resume.

There is no GPA requirement to participate in the Dean's Honor Symposium.

Students may apply to present their work either as part of a panel or through the poster session.

Applications are due on October 2nd, 2020.

Panel Requirements: Requirements for presenting your project on a panel
Enroll in the Spring 2021 Dean's Honors Symposium Preparation course for either zero or 1 credit. This course will meet weekly throughout the spring semester on Mondays from 2:00-3:40om or 4:00-5:40pm, your panel will be presented at the symposium at the same time as your class meets. You will work with a faculty leader (who will chair the panel) and your co-panelists via email and small group meetings.

In addition, you will be required to : 
~Attend a mandatory presentation workshop
~Submit your bio and relevant information about your panel to the symposium program.

The final product is a seven-to-ten minute presentation at the Dean’s Honors Symposium on Monday, April 12 (1:00-6:00pm), and you are encouraged to attend the Dean’s List and Student Award Ceremony that directly follows (6:00-8:00pm).

Poster Presentation Requirements: Requirements for presenting your project at the poster presentation
Develop a one-page poster about your project, and work with Lang faculty and staff to adapt your poster to a digital template
Submit an initial draft by February 24, 2021, and complete additional drafts as necessary
Review advisor comments on your poster by March 3, 2021
Review your poster proof by March 17, 2021
Attend the Dean’s Honors Symposium on Monday, April 12 from 1:00-6:00pm, present your poster at the Poster Presentation at 1:00pm, and the Dean’s List and Student Award Ceremony that directly follows (6:00-8:00pm).

Please note, accepted panelists will be asked to share their projects with their panel groups and other applicants.

Panel applicants may be offered the opportunity to do a poster in lieu of a panel presentation.

Panel applicants will be notified by November 4. Selected students will be given their panel time meetings and will need to register for the appropriate section once their registration window opens.

Covid-19 - Student Grant Update

At this time, we are asking students to consider CDC guidelines on best practices for further Covid-19 prevention when crafting their proposals. This includes guidelines on limiting social gatherings to less than 10 people at a time and maintaining social distancing. Proposals that do not follow these guidelines will not be funded at this time.

Lang Study Abroad programs include both Faculty-Led programs and Lang-Sponsored International Exchange programs.

Please designate a mentor for your project. This voluntary role is assumed primarily by faculty, but it is also open to staff at The New School. The mentor's main responsibility is to check in with the awardee at the mid-point of the experience and to review the awardee's final blog post.

If the chosen faculty or staff member is not available or the student does not have a particular person in mind, a member of the Student Life and Outreach Committee will serve as the mentor.

 

If you would like a member of the Student Life and Outreach Committee will serve as the mentor please write "assign" in the two mentor questions below.

You have two mandatory check-in points with your mentor. You should schedule your check-in points at times that are most useful for your individual project, however, for the first check-in point you should have some work complete so that your mentor can help with any problems.

Your final check-in point should be prior to your final report date so that your mentor can read through your blog post to suggest edits for you. 

Expenses in the following categories are generally not allowable, unless they can be jdustified as uniquely essential to the project:

• basic living expenses in New York City
• New School fees or tuition
• payments to other students for research or performance related work (almost never allowable)

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

PRIORITY CONSIDERATION IS GIVEN TO CURRENT EUGENE LANG COLLEGE STUDENTS, SENIORS WHO WILL HAVE GRADUATED BEFORE THEIR PROPOSED PROJECT WILL BE CONSIDERED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS

 

Students will be notified of their application status 3 weeks after the application deadline (April 30, 2021) 

Funding requires a minimum of 4 weeks processing time once application decisions are finalized. Awards are distributed at two points - an initial payment and a final payment at the conclusion of the project. 

 

This award is considered taxable income.

We are excited about your interest in becoming a First Year Fellow! 

First Year Fellows mentor a class of incoming first-year students to help them make a smooth transition to Lang and become engaged with the campus community. Fellows lead seminar workshops with their assigned group of first-year students throughout the fall semester, and meet weekly in a Teaching & Learning seminar with other Fellows to develop and strengthen their teaching, mentoring, and facilitation practice. The Teaching & Learning seminar will be taught by Professor Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Chair of the First-Year Program.

The First Year Program has been evolving over the past four years to better uphold Eugene Lang College's commitment to social justice. Check out The New School's Mission and Vision Statements here: http://www.newschool.edu/mission-vision.

To reflect that evolution, First Year Fellows will partake in a week-long training during Orientation week (late August) that will introduce and strengthen skills in social justice literacy and practice, group facilitation, and mentoring. Fellows will be compensated for their participation in this training with a stipend of $500 (First Time Fellow) / $600 (Returning Fellows). 

The Teaching & Learning Seminar (Fall 2021) and the workshop curriculum (which Fellows lead with their group of first-year students during Fall 2021) will focus on social justice-centered readings, topics, and questions, in addition to Lang-specific institutional information, and lesson planning/facilitation skills.

The Fellows program is an exciting leadership opportunity for you to build upon your own academic, pedagogical, and activist work, and to inspire first-year students to become part of a community at Lang that values and practices a commitment to social justice. 

This opportunity is not just for Lang students who are already engaged in social justice work. We encourage applicants with a strong desire to learn more about teaching, social justice literacy, and practice to apply.

WHAT DO I DO AS A FIRST YEAR FELLOW?
- Develop teaching and facilitation skills
- Mentor the next generation of Lang students
- Deepen your own understanding of social justice literacy and practice
- Play a key role in building Lang’s student community
- Sustain Lang’s legacy of and commitment to seminar pedagogy

WHAT IS REQUIRED OF FIRST YEAR FELLOWS?
- Participate in mandatory training sessions during orientation week in August 2021 (You will be compensated for your time during the August training)
- Meet with first year students during orientation week to support their transition to college
- Attend a weekly Teaching and Learning Seminar (registered course for variable credit, LNGC 3000) scheduled on Tuesdays, 4pm - 5:40pm.
- Lead 6 workshops throughout the fall semester with a group of first year students

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO BE A FIRST YEAR FELLOW?
Lang students with:
- Sophomore standing or higher as of Fall 2021
- Any major or area of study!

Please note that the priority deadline for this application is December 11, 2020.

Relevant Courses

Please list two courses you have taken in the social sciences

Students who have an experience that could benefit from funding during the academic year should use this form to inquire about eligibility.

Students can apply for this merit-based award in one of two ways as outlined below and can apply more than once and the applications are open to graduating seniors.

Option 1: On their own, or scanning opportunities listed on the IS Blog/Student Resources/ Funding or Internships, students can identify an unpaid internship/REU, or one that supplies limited funding (NSF, DEP, funded REU), and request financial support via the fellowship to cover outstanding costs (paid work, housing, travel, certificates, computing, supplies, etc.). Please review the list of Student Resources at the IS Blog, under Finding, Funding, and Applying for Internships and REUs and the Categories Submenu. In addition, speak to the appropriate faculty member to identify additional matches. Your Peers are also an excellent resource with many having applied to 10-20 REU or internships each year. As an example an Indeed Job search also can be useful for new and emerging internships. See this one on the Environmental Defense Fund (summer 2018) in which you would work on a project designed to shift energy use from fossil fuels to “clean”electrical sources and another at the Natural Resources Defense Council summer 2019) in which you work as a photography intern (fully paid!) . Also there are some specific to soph-graduating seniors not yet in graduate school See DOE SULI. 

Option 2: To streamline the process and provide students with a supportive environment connected to faculty or alumni, we have worked with specific organizations to tailor the research/internship experience. Students can select from these organizations and apply to the department, which will provide mentoring on development of cover letter, CV-Resume, and do a preliminary review of all applications before matching students to organizations for interviews. The range of options is varied in terms of time, duration, responsibilities, and prior background. Please see this Mohn Family Science and Social Justice Fellowships link for description of the sites and positions.

Budget - If a budget is required for your project, you can find guidelines and a sample budget here:

http://bit.ly/LangBudgetWorksheet

 

It is recommended that you fill out the sample sheet and copy over your answers here to the question below. If you are sharing your google sheet in your application, please be sure that you enable the option "Anyone at the New School can view" within the sharing settings.

Personal Statement/Proposal: You may choose to answer each question below separately or submit a personal statement that addresses them collectively in one essay/ statement (maximum word limit of 1200). Some of you may be able to use your Major/Minor Statement to draw upon.

--How will this Fellowship complement your academic experience at Lang and how is this beneficial to you personally? Explain how an internship or research experience in your focus area is related to your pathway of study and courses. What methodology will you employ to complete the research and/or project? (Is the proposed research/program feasible, and do you have adequate resources/abilities to complete the project/program? Is the research/program over ambitious or under ambitious?) Please limit your response to a maximum of 300 words.

--Describe your qualifications. Help us understand how you will be able to succeed in this experience? Share the qualities, experience, knowledge and/or skills that make you a strong candidate? Describe projects or presentation that you believe to tell a story about how you are a good fit for the experiences/site. Please limit your response to a maximum of 300 words.

--Academic exploration is a key component of the Fellowship. What readings or materials will you use to complement your on-site experience (these can be ones you have already read or plan to read)? How does your experience connect to the mission of the social justice and/or civic engagement mission of the college? Please limit your response to a maximum of 300 words.

--How will the Fellowship advance your professional goals? Limit response to a maximum of 300 words.

 

Criteria for Decision Making:

• Interest in the Interdisciplinary Science Major or Minor (those declared are prioritized).
• Quality of CV-Resume, academic transcript, and personal statement. 
• Statements that follow the advice in this brief guide . 
• Statement demonstrates how the experience builds on current skills and interests.
• Knowledge of what the experience will entail and clear rationale provided by the students to why they would be a strong candidate-know your organization well, do some research on the people, projects, etc. 
• Faculty experiences with student in courses, advising, and other experiences.