Hello,
I recently found out about the Iranian Scholarship Fund. I am eligible to apply for their Scholarship, which would likely replace my work study and relieve me of the burden of paying for some technological necessities. However, I am wary of applying, since some of the people on the scholarship selection board are highly respected member of the Iranian Opposition (Professor Milani, for example). I do have vague dreams of attaining office in the republic, and my fear is that receiving the scholarship might complicate matters for me in the future (if the current nature of the election process is to persist). Frankly, while not having work study commitments is certainly nice, it is not worth limiting my options at all.
So here is the question : Does federal law allow organizations to publicize the list of their scholarship recipients in any way?
Yes, of course. Pretty much every outside scholarship I’ve won has published a list of recipients.
You should count on it.
(I assume you’re a U.S. Student with Iranian heritage?)
@CourtneyThurston I understand. Thank you for your quick and helpful response.
The law generally doesn’t say what you can do, it says what you can’t do. I am not familiar with any legal restriction on a scholarship organization releasing the names of its scholarship recipients. Don’t you think it would be a bit unseemly to want to take money from an organization but not want to be associated with the people that run it?
@BelknapPoint I see. Thank you.
Note that I do not have ANY problems with being associated with the highly esteemed professors on the board, but I am worried about the legal and social implications of such an action in my country.
I will need to factor this in in my decison. Thank you for your help.
@CourtneyThurston I am not a citizen of the United States, and I was talking about attaining office in Iran. I am Sorry if that was unclear. Why do you ask?
I have a question. You mention this scholarship would replace your “work study”. What “work study” are you talking about, because as an international student, you are not eligible to receive federal work study as a financial aid award here. In addition, as an international student, the number of hours you are allowed to work is very limited.
@thumper1 my institutional aid includes 3500$ as student term time work contribution. The school guarantees sufficient on-campus employment opportunities to earn this amount for all students.
It seems that the term refers to a particular federal work study plan. I am sorry for the confusion.
If you are an international student you are NOT eligible for federal work study at a U.S college of any kind…from U.S. federal funds.
Some colleges have work study that is institutional based. Is this what you mean?
Yes, as I said in my earlier post, I am referring to institutional work study.
You know, it’s your choice. If you object to the sharing of the info, then don’t apply for the scholarship.
@thumper1 thank you for your advice. I was trying to find out whether they can publish info. It seems that they can. I will have to weigh my options with caution.
@Soheils -
As you know that some members of the board are themselves prominent members of the Opposition Party, would publication of scholarship recipient names be the sole manner in which your name, as a recipient, could become known to persons not in the party? (Or, would not members’ presence on a board which may not bind them to impartial review and/or confidentiality outside of the deliberations, represent the first point of contact with your name as identifier?)
This sounds to be a complex, wide-ranging decision for you to make. I wish you well as you make your choice.
If you do obtain it, you can always ask them to not publish your name. Some outside awards ask for permission/make you sign a release form before doing so. You can decline the release, and it’s usually not a condition for receiving the award. At least that’s my experience (though I didn’t decline to share the info, it wasn’t mandatory).
They might not even wanna publish a list in the 1st place. Many organizations, such as the HSF for example, do not. You could phone them/ask before applying (don’t give your name) and save yourself the worry.
Think about this…you also mention possibly working on political campaigns here. Your name could be published related to that as well.
ETA…you are about 16 years old. There will be many things you do in your life where your name will be a matter of public record.
Likely when you applied and signed your name, there was some fine print included that gave the entity permission to print your name if you were a winner.
It sounds like OP has not yet applied:
@mom2collegekids @BelknapPoint thank you for responding. No, I have not applied yet.
@thumper1 the fact that I am 16 has no effect on the reality of my situation: I am starting college thousands of miles from home in September. I have to be careful.
This is not a matter of privacy. Allow me to elaborate:
All candidates for high offices(presidency, Parliament, ministeries et al.) Must be approved by the council of the guardians of the Iranian constitution. How would it look to them if they looked around and found out about this?
@Lilliana330 thank you for responding. they do not have a phone number, but my friends will likely allow me to use their email. But thanks for the suggestion.
My understanding is that the hardliners that run Iran still consider the United States to be “The Great Satan.” Is this not correct? And if it is, won’t the simple act of going to college in the United States cast suspicion on you, regardless of where the funding for that education comes from?
A matter that may make a difference:
None of the said opposition members are in the board of trustees. They are members of the selection committee.
On the other hand, I could not find much info about the trustees.
@BelknapPoint Mohammad Javad Zarif and many other high officials went to college in the US. I am hoping to use my college’s prestige as well, if I decide to pursue such a path.
@Waiting2exhale thank you for responding. Hmmm. I had not considered that. I will look around their website for info about that.