Page 115 - Phoenix1998-99

COMMENTARY Thursday, February 18, 1999 - Page 7 WMC's Magical Mystery Internship Policy A lot of attention has been fo- claim the credit on the upcoming Sarah Radice questions sometimes had to be paid to super- This is just not kosher because cused lately on the new noise re- spring semester, I would not have student internship policies. vise internships; and also because internships do not utilize WMC strictions for residence halls, with to pay anything. that is simply the nature of col- property or resources in any way the resulting student uproar causing But there was a hitch: I was is $120/credit. Over the summer, leges, to sell their academic credit. (unless you count the paper the tran- them to be repealed, a marvel of stu- seriously considering taking 20 it is $270/credit. During the regu- "We charge money for an edu- scripts are printed on). dent mobilization. credits, and adding the internship lar school year, it is $340/credit for cation, for the credit we give ... I Professors are already paid to r think that one largely unknown credit would give me an overload, an overload. would be surprised if any college profess. Overseeing internships for policy that deserves some attention for which I would pay overload Even though I am going to a pri- did not charge for credit," she told their students should be a part of and examination is the one regard- prices: $340** per credit. In or- vate college, I am by no means rich. me. their job duties anyway. ing internships. der to add the credit to the previ- Financial aid is what enables me Then she suggested I talk to None of this messiness would be I say this because apparently the ous fall semester, when I had taken togo to WMC. Ethan Seidel, VP of Finance and necessary if internships were policy is something of a mystery, only 16 credits, and not overload I would definitely have a prob- Administration, to find out more counted as hours fulfilled, instead and one that needs to be cleared up. my schedule, I would have to get lem paying a few hundred dollars about how costs were determined. of credits earned, on our transcripts. My interest in internships the Dean's signature. above and beyond normal costs for We traded phone messages, It would cost nothing, and sprouted just two months ago. Dur- In the end it all worked out; I something which takes place en- and, basically, Seidel told me that would aJlow masochists like myself ing the winter break, I decided to took 17.5 credits this semester and tirely off school property, which he did not know why the policy to take twenty credits until the cows get rid of the internship requirement came home without having to worry for the gerontology minor by work- about cutting out a class or two in ing at Asbury Methodist Village. I think that one largely unknown policy that deserves some order to get internship credit with- Note the location of the intern- out paying extra. ship: not Western Maryland Col- attention and examination is the one regarding internships. Dean Coley thought that stu- lege, but 50 miles away in my home- dents might not like this idea, as it town of Gaithersburg, Maryland. added the internship without pay- does not involve use of school fa- was in effect, that internships were would necessitate them taking one r had spoken briefly with my ing anything for it. cilities, and which is essentially academic courses with fees set by extra class to meet the full 128 teacher before the break about Those who don't have an in- paying for marks on paper. Academic Affairs, and that he hours needed for graduation. whether I could get credit for doing ternship requirement for their ma- These prices seem awfully high guessed they cost more based on I think that this sounds much it over January, and she told me that jor don't need to be concerned. for secretarial work. the amount of supervision in- better; but my point is that my opin- all r would have to do is fill out the Some students, however, are In an effort to find out more volved. ion doesn't matter, it's what the rest internship form and get a letter from working on a large major or com- about the rationale behind this in- He suggested I talk to Dean of the students think. . my on-site supervisor. bination of majors and minors that ternship policy, I spoke to Regis- Coley or the Registrar to find out I think there should be an open Easy enough. But when r called would necessitate taking 5 classes trar Elizabeth PivaL more. forum or discussion of this issue to WMC in January, after starting the a semester, perhaps for multiple She was extremely helpful but It seems no matter how far you judge student opinion, discuss pos- internship, I found out something semesters. ultimately could not tell me why travel, you always come back to the sible changes, and above all raise unpleasant. They would have to pay the the internship program was run that same place, life in internships. the visibility of this particular topic. In order to get credit for an in- school extra, or at least be forced way. She said it was because aca- I still do not know how prices In any event, there should defi- ternship during January, you have to crunch their classes, to satisfy demic credits must be paid for and are determined for internship credit nitely be a written explanation of to pay the school $120** per credit. a requirement the school itself suggested I talk toDean Coley. or understand why we have to pay internship policy and charges in our Thus, my two credit internship mandates. Dean Coley, too, was extremely for them at alL I do not believe the student course books. would set me back $240- not ex- Why? That does not seem helpful and concerned. She said argument that they cost more be- actly chump change. quite fair to me. that internships cost money in dif- cause they are grant academic **These figures are approxima- If my professor would let me Internship credit over January ferent situations because professors credit, just like any other class. tions. Throwing Bricks at Tradition '''0 beautiful for spacious skies Matthew Thomas says I for amber waves of grain,' has science building clashes there ever been another place on with campllS motif earth where so many people of can't open the windows. wealth and power have paid for and pointed example of a lapse in a building. Stinky experiments. put up with so much architecture general architectural unity on the cycled air. Sheesh." they detested as within thy blessed Western Maryland campus. It has Jon Bearr, nnvrronmentar Bior-] borders today." the good sense to crouch low and ogy major, '0 I, said, "It "There's one that I lifted," as blend in with the bushes and the an Orwellian view of the William Burroughs wrote. I "lifted" older buildings, though. No such Bio-chem major Julie the beginning quote from Tom luck with the science building- summed up the most Wolfe. He wrote it a while ago; he it's an egocentric nightmare. sponse, "I don't like the fact was referring to the United States My question, is this - Why the building doesn't fit with the in general. He might as well have glass on our new building when of the campus, but that's just written it yesterday about our new our campus is a brick campus? bad because we need it." science building. Since it is a science building, I Take a look around you the next time you walk to the pub, rush from Give the science class to class, or reel from dorm to dorm trying to fit in a game of beer people what they pong at every residence hall, plus need, and wrap it in Bob Chambers' house. What do you see everywhere? Even if your vi- something horridly sion is blurry from the drinking games, you will see brick - lots of ugly. brick. I love that brick. It reminds me thought that science professors of Jack Kerouac and small towns and majors would have more to and big dreams and everything good say about any possible merits of and tragic about the USA. This cam- our hunk of glass. The response I pus is a brick campus, through and got from them, though, was decid- through. One thing it is not, and this edly mixed. While most were ex- "It's SO pristine, so pure, so untouched b,. is what makes the new science cited about the new building, with is. humankind. It could really use a Starbucks." building a monstrosity, is a glass its new and improved labs and campus. general high-tech wow factor; The Phoenix does not endorse For the coolest StickWorld Apparel, Greeting Cards, Decker Center is the only there were notable exceptions to playing ofbeer pong. Games, and Accessories visit us at.www.stickworld.com