Â鶹´«Ã½IOS

Overview

Overview

Â鶹´«Ã½IOS is excited to offer a semester-long, paid, remote program as part of our efforts to educate and empower students on American college and university campuses. This opportunity gives current undergraduates the opportunity to collaborate with Â鶹´«Ã½IOS in defending civil liberties on campuses across the country, while also working with our staff to create and build a personal project to promote Â鶹´«Ã½IOS’s mission on their own campuses.

This experience is remote. The 2024 fall semester program will begin on September 16 and run remotely until December 16, 2024. Campus Scholars will receive a stipend of $1,500 upon completion of the program and their project in December. Campus Scholars will be required to attend the Â鶹´«Ã½IOS Student Development Summit October 17-19, 2024.

Applications are due Friday, September 6, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Qualifications and Responsibilities

Â鶹´«Ã½IOS is looking for intelligent and energetic undergraduates attending colleges and universities in the United States who are looking to engage in free speech activism on their campuses. Ideal candidates are responsible, focused, and organized; have a passion for civil liberties; and have a history of taking action in support of causes they believe in. All Campus Scholars are expected to demonstrate excellent research, writing, and communication skills. 

Â鶹´«Ã½IOS Campus Scholars will:

• Create, draft, and complete a personal project congruent with Â鶹´«Ã½IOS’s mission, and funded through a Â鶹´«Ã½IOS grant, over the course of one semester. Examples of a personal project could include:
  • Host a free speech conference on campus
  • Build a free speech website
  • Research proposal aligned with Â鶹´«Ã½IOS’s mission
  • Or, something that we haven’t thought of! (See past project examples here.)
• Attend the Â鶹´«Ã½IOS Student Development Summit in Florida from October 17-19, 2024.
  • This event is fully-funded by Â鶹´«Ã½IOS. All travel expenses are paid by Â鶹´«Ã½IOS. 
• Assist with various projects such as research, development, and outreach tasks, throughout the course of the semester
• Recommend fellow peers to Â鶹´«Ã½IOS events, our Summer Internship program, and the Campus Scholars Program 

Application Procedures

The fall semester application process closes on Friday, September 6 at 11:59 p.m. (ET). Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Applicants should submit a résumé, a project proposal, and budget estimations, detailing how they would use a Â鶹´«Ã½IOS grant to promote free expression or the First Amendment on their college campus. Projects must be congruent with Â鶹´«Ã½IOS’s mission. While applicants may not have all details fleshed out, they should have a clear goal, details on how they plan to achieve it, and an estimated budget. Selected applicants will go through a formal interview process to be considered for the program.

Questions and inquiries about Â鶹´«Ã½IOS’s Campus Scholar’s Program can be submitted to internship@thefire.org.

FAQs

Is the Â鶹´«Ã½IOS Campus Scholars Program open to high school students, graduate students, law students, or international students? 

No. At this time, the program is only open to undergraduate students studying at institutions in the United States. For more information about other opportunities at Â鶹´«Ã½IOS, please visit our jobs page. For information on Â鶹´«Ã½IOS’s Legal Clerkship for rising second- and third-year law students, please visit our Legal Clerkship Program page.

What is the time commitment?

While the time commitment will vary due to the differences in personal projects, Campus Scholars are expected to average 8-10 hours of work per week, fully remote. In addition, Campus Scholars will have bimonthly check-ins with the Campus Scholar coordinator. 

Can I complete this program if I am on the quarter system?

Yes. This program is designed to match up with the length of one semester and could be modified for the length of one quarter.