Case Western Reserve University will continue a program this year that doles out grants for social justice initiatives.
The grants are administered by the university’s Social Justice Institute, which states on its website that social justice eradicates “systems of power and oppression with the purpose of advancing fairness and equality through the redistribution of resources and opportunities, and exalting human dignity and respect.”
The grants, or fellowships, work to “advance our mission to create a more just world.” The program invites both graduate students and faculty to apply, with each receiving different rewards.
Grad students can receive $3,500 to pursue any social justice topic of their choosing; faculty grants are reserved for those who are tenured or on the tenure track or have shown a “long-term commitment to social justice.” Faculty grants range from $2,500 to $10,000 with up to four rewards expected to be distributed, the university’s website states.
According to the fellowship’s official flyer, the program has existed since 2010. The deadline to apply for the latest round of grant money is April 1.
Last year, the program produced research into the “Construction of Masculinity.” Another topics was the “Social Construction of Transgender” in health care.
In previous years, topics have included: “Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” “Collective Identity Recovery through Legacy” and “Community Resistance to Colonialism.” Other projects have delved into the opioid crisis, racial food disparities, abortion restrictions, and various health care concerns, among other topics.
The College Fix reached out to Case Western to ask whether these programs have had any tangible results on the issues they attempt to address. University officials did not respond.
Social justice programming has increased remarkably in recent years. This institutional shift has not come cheap for students.
According to a study by the National Association of Scholars, a conservative think tank, social justice programming has cost college students around $10 billion a year. These extra expenditures have resulted in an increase in administrative costs that are passed down to students and families in the form of higher tuition, the research found.
Tuition at Case Western, a private university in Ohio, currently stands at $61,000 annually.
MORE: Want credit for social justice? More than 100 colleges with academic programs
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