6B
Friday, April 10, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
KU interns get credit and experience in Washington
By JAVAN OWENS
By JAVAN OWENS
Special to the Kansan
WASHINGTON — After a hard day at work on the Hill, 18 KU students head to their favorite hangout to unwind.
But they aren't at the Hawk in Lawrence. They are about 1,000 miles away at the Hawk and Dove, a bar in Washington, D.C. For them, the nation's capital is home this semester. They are interns, working with members of Congress and a variety of Washington, D.C., organizations.
In choosing to become interns, they left friends and relatives behind and moved among strangers. They live in an expensive city while earning little or no money. They are gambling that whatever the sacrifice, the practical experience and connections they develop will make it all worthwhile.
"Most of us have come out here out of some sacrifice, financially on our part or on our parents," said Amy Kincaid, Kansas City, Mo., junior. "It's just expensive to come out here and live."
To her, Washington is a "city of excess." She is an intern for Independence, a coalition of national nonprofit organizations, learning 12 hours of academic credit.
Monthly bills and the absence of a paycheck complicate her life, she said. But like the other students, she thinks her internship is beneficial.
"It allows students who are looking for a different learning experience to meet their aspirations of gaining
knowledge about the political are na " she said
But even more difficult for the
store is living in a new town on
shore.
Jennifer Rowland, Lawrence junior, works as a copy editor for the News Media and the Law, a quarterly journal published by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She said making the decision to live on campus in a semester was an easy one. Leaving her friends was a big concern.
"The distance was the thing I had to overcome," Rowland said. "It was a hard decision to make to leave Kansas for a whole semester. I had to decide whether I wanted to leave my friends and college life."
Rowland is one of the few fortunate interns who receive a stipend for their work. She receives $750 for the semester. She said she was grateful for the money, which will help her pay some of her expenses.
Dan Green's story is somewhat different. Green, Overland Park junior, who works in Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole's office, was forced to take a second job to offset some of his living expenses.
The students' sacrifices have not gone unnoticed by their adviser, Ellen Gold, associate professor of communication studies.
"I have been delightfully impressed with the caliber of students," Gold said. "It takes a fair amount of initiative, courage and guts to pull up from that safe place you had in Lawrence and start a new job."
is part of the internship arrangement, a joint effort of the political science and communications studies departments and the honors program.
Gold has coped with a lot herself. She said the University did not provide for the extra expense of her move to Washington. But Gold was drawn there for her own research project.
Her work with them in Washington
Michael Diggs, Wichita sophomore, works in the office of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. Diggs said living with him has been an advantage for a hindrader than an advantage.
He said he wanted to gain experience, independence and a chance to meet new people through the program, and living with other KU students just may be too safe.
One of the ways the group copes with Washington is by staying together. Students live together in threes in one-bedroom apartments in the Capital City park. Gold, who lives in a house apart from the students, said the arrangement provided a "safety net" for students so they didn't have to face all the adjustments alone.
"People here seem to be content to stay home and watch TV," Diggs said. "I don't want to spend any more nights in my apartment — I know it well enough. Getting to know Washington is a part of the experience.
"You have to have a certain amount of independence. You have to learn how to make it on your own, living in a brand new place. It's a certain growing-up thing that would
benefit a lot of people."
Diggs also said that some students might find themselves doing busywork for an office.
"It's easy to fall into the trap of copying and opening mail." Diggs said. "This is a disservice to the program and to the student."
Aaron Levine, Lawrence senior,
explained that it was important for
students to pick their internships
wisely to avoid problems.
Levine said he chose Rep. Jim Slattery's office not only because he was from his district, but also because Slattery, D-Kan., was the politician whom Levine agreed with most.
"You want to pick the area you are most interested in," Levine said. "You'll get to see how communication is channelled, and you'll get to see power in action whether on the congressional side or lobbyist side."
For the most part, interns take their jobs seriously. Mike Horak, Emporia junior, said he had a duty to uphold the University's name. He also felt a duty to do well because he had a hand in shaping public policy.
Horak, who works in the Student Press Law Center, said Midwesterners were at a disadvantage because programs like the internships were rare. Although interns are very much a part of the Washington policymaking process, the opportunities are often taken by students from the East.
"In the East, it's pretty standard to take off a semester to do something like this," Horak said. "It puts kids in the Midwest at a disadvantage
because the other kids have so much experience."
Andi Kounas, Lawrence senior, said she was not as serious about the internship as some of the other students. Kounas took an internship with National Public Radio as an alternative to spending her last semester in Lawrence.
"I had pretty well taken what I needed — I wanted to experience the cultural aspect of Washington," she said. "I am an exception to the rule."
Kounas, a speech-language-hearing major, said she was an example of how to use the new technology.
dents of any major, regardless of their interest in politics.
Brett Frazier, Pratt sophomore, said although the interns were diverse, they all shared exceptional talent Frazier, a General Accounting Office intern, said KU had a strong presence and an internal intern. He attributes a part of his success at the GAO to a KU intern who was there the year before.
"It's a credit to Kansas that we have a program, and a good program at that," Frazier said. "It speaks very well of the University."
Internship program may end
By JAVAN OWENS Special to the Kansan
The Washington internship program may be difficult to continue next spring because of the University of Kansas' 3.8 percent budget cuts, a lack of applicants and difficulty in finding a faculty adviser.
Robert Lineberry, dean of liberal arts and sciences, said college officials would weigh the internship with other programs before reaching a decision. With the program serving just a few students, it might have to be sacrificed for programs that benefit more students, he said.
She also said that the college should look at the program's cost-effectiveness before considering cutting it. It is one of the best public relations tools that the University has, she said.
But a decision will not be made until October, because the program is offered in the spring semester, he said.
'It is so inexpensive for what it gives KU.'
Randa Dubnick, assistant director of the honors program, disagrees. Dubnick said it was unfortunate that faculty advisers could not be paid more for their expenses. But she always has had interested faculty advisors and then promptly allows them to do research in Washington, she said.
Doreen Torgerson, Joplin, Mo. senior, who was an intern last year, said she hoped that more students would apply. She said the quality of the program could be maintained only if more qualified students applied.
"Regardless of major, the program is for those who are serious-minded, competitive and who are inked in public policy," Torgerson said.
The semesterlong program, sponsored through the political science and communication studies departments and the honors program, requires only that the applicants to be in good academic standing. Eighteen out of 40 applicants for internships this semester were selected.
"It is so inexpensive for what it gives KU," she said. "It increases the visibility for some of the most talented students at KU, and in return it increases the visibility for KU."
But some past advisers also are concerned about finding qualified
"We haven't gone begging, and we still have excellent faculty to go each year." Dubnick said.
Pete Rowland, associate professor in political science and the adviser last spring, said that because the program required advisers to make a considerable financial sacrifice, officials may have difficulty finding good advisers in the future.
LOOKGUYS,NOKEG.
Just twist a cap and you've got beer on tap.
Just twist a cap and you've got beer on tap. New Miller Genuine Draft $ ^{®} $ is real draft beer in a bottle. It's not heat-pasteurized, like most bottled beers. It's cold-filtered to give you the smoothness and freshness of draft beer from a keg. No way, you say? Tasting is believing.
MILLER GENUINE DRAFT. IT'S BEER AT ITS BEST.
1986 Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, WI