Student Information

Tuition & Fees

Students are responsible for travel, tuition, daily transportation, food and housing costs.  Tuition rates for Summer 2007 will be approximately $2880 (subject to final budget approval by the Office of the Provost).  Students will receive eight upper division credits in Political Science for successful completion of the program.  Students should consult with a campus financial aid counselor to reassess student financial need figures for the following year and the availability of Minnesota grant funds. After formal acceptance into the program (following STAGE ONE APPLICATION procedure described below on page 4), each student must make a non-refundable deposit of $200 no later than January 15, 2007. This deposit will be applied to the tuition charges.

Housing is estimated to cost about $1100 per student, based upon the assumption that students will be willing to share accommodations. (See Note 3 on HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS below.)

Program duration

Students are expected to be in Washington, D.C. by 5:00 p.m., Sunday, May 27, for an initial orientation meeting. Internship assignments officially begin work on Tuesday morning, May 29 unless other arrangements have been made.  The program will officially end on July 30. Some students may be invited by their worksite supervisor to continue working into the month of August. It is up to the intern whether to agree or not to an extension of the work commitment. Note, however, that any modifications in living arrangements after July are the student’s exclusive responsibility.

Housing arrangements

Housing commitments are made early in the spring semester by the faculty moderator in consultation with student interns. The final decision is based upon an effort to balance several factors, including the following:

• Affordability
• Security
• Sanitation
• Air Conditioning
• Helpful Staff
• On-Site Cooking Facilities
• Proximity to Public transportation, airport
• Amenities
• Proximity to Grocery Shopping
• On-Site Laundry Facilities

The cost of housing is dependent upon the willingness of students to share living spaces. Students are expected to commit in the spring to financial responsibility for a specific living arrangement, and to compensate roommates promptly for any losses due to later changes (such as withdrawal for the program, or a desire to live elsewhere).

Transportation

Students are responsible for arranging their own (or sharing ) transportation to and from Washington, D.C. Air transportation can be arranged to Reagan National Airport (DCA), which is the closest airport, or Dulles International Airport (IAD), or rail transport to Union Station. Taxis are recommended to and from the DCA airport and fares are quite reasonable. Parking on Capitol Hill is EXTREMELY limited, so students should plan to use public transportation (bus and Metro) to and from work (averaging about $5/day).

Readings in advance of internship

In order to integrate the summer experience within a broader context of Congress, the student should also be familiar with some of the literature on Congress. David Mayhew’s book, CONGRESS: THE ELECTORAL CONNECTION has been placed in reserve at the CSB library. In addition, two books should be purchased from website sources:

1. C-SPAN’s "2007 U.S. Congressional Directory," available to order from www.c-span.org in March 2007.
2. Reeher, Grant and Mack Mariani.  The Insider’s Guide to Political Internships. Westview Press: 2002. 

Worksite Responsibilities

It is in the student’s best interest to dress and behave in a professional manner throughout the period of an internship experience. Punctuality, reliability, initiative, and discretion are among the qualities that demonstrate one’s value to potential employers. A good reputation among work colleagues is an investment in the future. Don’t waste it!

Seminars & Additional Meetings

Students are required to participate in weekly seminars scheduled by the faculty moderator on site. In addition, Congress provides weekly opportunities to hear and meet with political activists, members of Congress, party leadership, prominent journalists, and other participants in U.S. public policy processes. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these unique opportunities. CSB/SJU interns will be invited to informal sessions on topics related to national government featuring guest speakers including alums from agencies, congressional staffs, committees, lobbyists, nonprofit organizations, etc. Following all formal or informal presentations, students should make journal entries about what they learn, what questions have emerged, and what connections there are to courses taken on campus.

In addition to learning directly from internship responsibilities at the worksite, unique opportunities to learn about U.S. history, the arts, and cultural legacies are easily and inexpensively available throughout the Washington, D.C. area.  Students should plan their weekend time to take full advantage of these national treasures.

Living independently & responsibly in an urban setting

Although a faculty moderator will be living nearby, students are expected to accept complete responsibility for budgeting their own time and money carefully. Planning one’s resources to cover rent, daily transportation, groceries, laundry, social activities, etc., in an urban environment may be especially challenging. Students should make their activity choices taking into account safety and prudence (e.g., avoiding evening and night travel alone, bringing a bag lunch to work, etc).

Evaluation

Student interns are expected to: (a) attend all pre-internship meetings scheduled for spring semester immediately prior to the summer program. (b) attend additional sessions and complete all assignments arranged by the faculty moderator in June and July (see section 7 above), (c) meet commitments made to on-site supervisors in a responsible and professional manner, (d) maintain a daily reflective journal throughout the internship period, and (e) prepare a final evaluation report immediately following completion of the internship experience.

Two copies of the final report and an updated resume must be typed and submitted no later than August 15; one copy will be retained by the Department. The final report should draw upon the experiences described in the student’s daily journal, reflections on the connections between previous coursework and Washington events and processes, and the student’s analysis of his/her own growth in skills and career preparation related to the summer study GOALS listed on page 1 above. The final evaluation report should be no more than 10 pages in length. Attach samples of work products from the internship site, if available.

Internship Reports will be available for review by members of the Political Science faculty and by other students interested in participating in future summer programs. Consequently, each student’s report should provide a clear and reflective analysis of what the student learned from the summer study experience, as well as the pre-program preparations. The faculty moderator will award grades of A - F to interns based on the quality of student performance on all of the following:

• Completion of all course and pre-course requirements in a timely and responsible manner.
• Careful and timely research and preparation of materials for submission to prospective internship sites.
• Participation in all pre-course orientation sessions during the spring semester preceding the summer program.
• Support of learning community goals for all participants.
• Participation in all summer seminar sessions.
• Evaluation of student’s work related behaviors and contribution to workplace goals.
• Final evaluation report and updated resume from student (due no later than August 15).