The University of California, Santa Cruz, is looking to hire a social justice activist in residence to communicate with faculty and students, Campus Reform reported.
The part-time independent contractor position pays $4,000 for the academic quarter for nine to 10 hours of work per week, according to the report. Also, the person who fills the position will be eligible to receive up to $1,000 for research.
The position falls under the university's Research Center for the Americas. The center's objective is to offer access to university research resources to students and faculty that will facilitate “social justice oriented work” that compliments the center’s mission, the report states.
"The RCA understands the identity of ‘activist' to be defined broadly,” the center stated. "An activist can be an artist, a community change maker, an educator, and/or a community advocate. An activist is someone who is committed to social change, to progressive reform, and to strengthening our local community.”
The role may include faculty and student interaction through "artist-activist workshops and class visits." Another goal of the program is to promote “the well-being of the Chicanx/Latinx and immigrant communities” and “the social inclusion of multiple marginalized communities,” according to the report.
UCSC alumni Cody Lee told Campus Reform: “I’m just confused at the point of this being a paid position. Don’t students and activists in town do this? Isn’t this being an established position opening up the potential for a hierarchy on voices or providing an arbitrary scapegoat?”
Lee, who was an activist when he attended the university, said he was confused by the concept of having a paid activist position within the university.
“When we marched and showed up and sat in, it was because we organized ourselves, and honestly, [participating] university employees always had to hide their faces at the risk of losing their jobs,” Lee told Campus Reform.
He added that working as a representative of the university typically includes limitations on involvement in campus activism.
The ideal candidate has a background that shows support of social justice issues, according to the report. The candidate also must have current or recent experience in a “community or government organization that aids poor, immigrant, and racial minority communities.”
To apply, candidates must submit a resume, a 500-word personal statement, and references. Applications for the position close on Nov. 1.
