MINELRES: Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program

[European Roma Rights Center]

The ERRC is distributing herewith a message on behalf of the Open Society 
Institute. For further information, please use the contact information 
provided at the bottom of this message.

Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program
Academic Year 2003-2004

Overview

The Open Society Institute (OSI) announces the third year of a
scholarship program for eligible Romani students at the university
level. The funds for the first two years of this program came from gold
looted by the Nazis during World War II and held by the Allied powers
since then. A portion of the funds from the gold controlled by the U.S.
government was allocated for this program. This year funds for the
program come from the Open Society Institute.
Roma who are eligible will (a) have been accepted at a recognized
Central or East European university in their home country or country of
residence as a first year, full time student in the fall of 2003 or (b)
already be enrolled full time at such a university in the second or
higher years c) or be current Roma Memorial University Scholarship
holders who are eligible for renewal.

Eligibility Criteria for New Applicants

Scholarship winners must come from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary,
Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia. However, priority will be given
to countries where major scholarship programs for Roma do not exist.

Scholarship winners must demonstrate:
A. financial need including employment status and income of parents,
number of children in the family, etc.;
B. acknowledgement of being Roma and interest in Roma issues or Roma
activism;
C. acceptance at a recognized university in their own country by
presentation of an original university enrollment certificate;
D. and must be enrolled full time at a recognized Central or East
European university. Priority will be given to applicants who study one
of the following subjects: political science, journalism, economics,
sociology, history, law or public administration.

Roma Memorial University Scholarship Awards

Scholarships normally will cover tuition; partial living expenses; books
and fees related to higher education, such as exam fees. Scholarships
may be renewed subject to successful completion of the prior academic
year. Renewing scholars must present official transcripts of grades and
exams in their own language plus an annual statement describing their
activities related to the Roma community to the Roma Memorial University
Scholarship Program (RMUSP) in Budapest in order to be considered for a
renewal.

Application Process for New Applicants

There will be only one round of applications for 2003-2004.

All deadlines below are the last day when your documents can be
postmarked. If they are postmarked after the deadline, they will not be
considered. You are always encouraged to get all of your documents in
well before the deadlines.

If you are a new applicant and you intend to apply, you must do the
following:

1. Send a pre-registration letter stating:
- your full name and your intention to apply;
- your needs and your family background;
- acknowledgement of being Roma and interest in Roma issues or Roma
activism;
- a description of the work you have undertaken to improve the lives of
Roma or work on Roma issues in your community;
- the name and faculty of the university and major/subject in which you
plan to enroll;
- a mailing address which is valid for the next 12 months;
- a telephone number and/or an e-mail address where you can be reached
during the summer holiday.
Pre-registration letters must be postmarked no later than July 5, 2003
to be considered.

2. Upon receipt of your letter, if you are eligible, you will be invited
to an orientation session to explain the process of applying and help
you fill out an application. This session will take place in your own
country in the second half of August 2003. You will be notified about
the details and location of this meeting in a letter. So it is important
that we have your phone and address during July and August to invite
you. You must be present at this meeting in order to formally apply for
an RMUSP scholarship.

3. After the meeting, you will be required to attach official documents
to your application and send it to us by September 15, 2003. Each
candidate must submit a complete and legible application which will
consist of:
- an itemized annual budget showing expenses for tuition, books, fees,
living expenses which are not covered by state/government budgets/grants
or other sources.
- an original certificate from the university in the country of one's
residence showing:
a) that the applicant is enrolled for the current academic year;
b) the cost of tuition and exam fees for the current academic year (if
applicable)
- a letter of recommendation from a secondary school teacher, a
university professor, a local community leader, or Roma NGO leader who
can provide details of the applicant's academic and leadership potential
and his/her commitment to the Roma. This letter may not be written by a
relative or personal friend or someone who has applied or received a
RMUSP scholarship. Neither can the letter come from someone who has
written a letter of recommendation for another RMUSP applicant.
If you fail to submit the completed application with all of the required
documents by September 15, 2003, you will not be eligible to receive a
scholarship for the academic year.

4. Some applicants may not be able to obtain an original university
enrollment certificate by September 15, 2003. If this applies to you,
you may send this document separately from the completed application.
The deadline for sending the original university enrollment certificates
in this case is October 15, 2003. If you fail to submit the original
enrollment certificate by October 15, 2003, your application will be not
be considered any further.

Please note that if you have received a full scholarship from another
organization for the academic year 2003-2004, you will be ineligible for
this one.

A selection committee of three Roma from different countries will make
the final selection with advice from the national foundations of the
Soros network.

Annual Awards are expected to be in the range of $500 - $1000.

All documents must be sent to:

RMUSP
OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE
H-1051 BUDAPEST
OKTOBER 6 UTCA 12.
HUNGARY
Fax: 00 36 1 327 3117
E-mail: rmusp@osi.hu