Micro Grant Awardees

Academic Year 2021-2022

Delta Omicron Zeta (DOZ)
Delta Omicron Zeta is a co-educational professional collegiate society focused on personal growth within a diverse community of leaders. The Fall 2021 semester, with safety protocols intended to protect the Los Angeles community amidst the pandemic in play, posed new challenges for DOZ. As a result, DOZ used their micro grant funds to design a new biophilic outdoor meeting space, where members could socially distance while still enjoying club activities. This new space required buying outdoor tables, canopy tents, folding chairs, and hammocks. Overall, the vision for this space promoted a culture where individuals and communities thrive, as it provided DOZ members the opportunity to gather together in a safe environment.

 

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, an organization focused on empowering underrepresented Hispanic and LatinX STEM students, holds weekly study sessions, where members come together, socialize, and get their homework done. At these sessions, SHPE aims to foster community by providing snacks, music recommendations and a weekly poll that encourages interaction and light-hearted discussion between members. SHPE used their funds from the USC Well-being Collective to sustain this program and pay for the snacks provided weekly. The welcoming nature of this social work environment helps create a space where SHPE students, oriented on their academics, can thrive. 

 

Alpha Omega Epsilon (AOE)
Alpha Omega Epsilon is a social-professional engineering and technical sciences sorority, dedicated to providing friendship, leadership, and professionalism to all of its members and the community. During their post-remote-learning experience, many members of AOE were withdrawing from the organization for financial reasons, despite previous internal efforts to financially support membership. AOE’s dependence on $240 semesterly member dues – used to pay for their dinners, biannual retreats, formals, study nights, and professional networking events – posed a challenge to some members. AOE was awarded  Micro Grant funds to establish a scholarship fund, reinforcing a culture of Equity and Inclusion by making AOE a more accessible organization for all interested members of the USC community– regardless of socioeconomic status or income. Similarly, supporting increased membership in AOE strengthens women’s presence in a STEM community, as many of AOE’s members partake in male-dominated career fields, making equity and inclusion across genders another vision of this scholarship fund.  The Micro Grant is just the foundation of the fund, which AOE hopes to strengthen over time through collaboration with its partners and donations. In all, AOE’s goal is to maintain this fund to support equity and inclusion for years to come!

 

Latinx Graduate Student Association (LGSA)
Recognizing the need for financial support within their community, which includes many first-generation and low income students, Latinx Graduate Student Association offers a financial aid fund for members. This fund backs their mission to support the recruitment, retention and success of Latinx graduate students at USC. In previous semesters, this fund has depended primarily on community donations in order to award need-based financial aid to students in LGSA who do not already have a “full-ride” scholarship. This past year, Micro Grant funds contributed to LGSA’s awards totaling $3000 in scholarships to students. The Micro Grant funds from the Well-being Collective were used to expand the fund, enhancing the culture of equity and inclusion by helping students continue their education. 

 

Biology Club
STEM courses are often demanding and stressful, and as a resource for STEM students, Biology Club sought to start up a semesterly Paint Night Program. Paint Nights provide students with art therapy, a mode of creative expression known to have a de-stressing effect. Biology Club used their Micro Grant funds to purchase painting supplies including canvases, paintbrushes, and acrylic paint.  Overall, this program is intended to cultivate an environment where Biology Club members can thrive by providing a safe space for them to engage in relaxing activities. 

 

Delta Phi Epsilon (DPE)
Delta Phi Epsilon, USC’s Foreign Service and International Relations organization, implemented a recurring “Sunday Scaries” session, where members meet on the Great Lawn to participate in de-stressing activities such as painting and yoga. These sessions have been met with high participation among DPE members, but have since caused a source of financial strain on the organization, as the activities were funded by individual e-board members. As a result, DPE is looking to use their Micro Grant funds to both improve and sustain the current sessions– with funds allocated towards hiring wellness coaches to lead the events as well as to fund the snacks, sun-safety, outdoor materials, games and yoga equipment provided at the sessions. The relaxing nature of these sessions foster a culture where individuals and communities can thrive, as they not only provide DPE members an exposure to wellness activities, but also an overall safe-space for bonding.