By Meghan Dubyak '04
Four Cornell undergraduate students have been recognized by the New York State Assembly as 2003 New York State Assembly Distinguished Interns, after participating in the university's Capital Semester program in Albany in the spring of 2003.
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Two other Cornell students served as State Senate interns and were elected by their peers as majority leader and majority whip of the 2003 State Senate Internship Program's Mock Senate Session.
Cameron Brown '03, Kate Constantino '04 and Christopher LaPage '04 are all policy analysis and management majors in the College of Human Ecology. Julie Schilder '04 is a human development major in the college. The four Cornell students were among seven Assembly interns honored as distinguished interns out of a class of 154 from New York state colleges and universities. They were selected on the basis of policy papers they prepared as part of their internships, which were chosen as the "Best Papers" of the Assembly Session Internship Class of 2003.
Steve Pallonetti '04 and Michelle Daubert '04, both policy analysis and management majors of the College of Human Ecology, were elected majority leader and majority whip, respectively, for the Senate's mock session. Pallonetti, who worked for state Sen. Michael F. Nozzolio (R-54th Dist.), and Daubert, who worked for state Sen. Thomas W. Libous (R-52nd Dist.), were both hired to remain on the legislators' respective staffs through the legislative session and beyond the completion of the Capital Semester program (which ends in mid-April) due to their excellent performance as interns.
"Cornell interns have developed a reputation of excellence with the legislators," said Bill Rosen, professor of policy analysis and management, who advised the Cornell students and met with them weekly during the course of their internship for the New York State Government Affairs seminar. "It is very rewarding to see the interns mature in their understanding of the political process and in their ability to succeed in a political/work environment."
The Cornell program combines a full 15-credit semester with a paid internship in a New York state legislator's office in Albany. The interns work directly for a senator or assemblyman, helping to draft legislation, conduct research, meet with constituents and lobbyists, write press releases and attend hearings.
Assembly interns are required to write policy papers. Those chosen as "Best Papers" were published in the "Distinguished Intern Report Publication," which is released annually by the State Assembly. Senate interns must draft a bill and participate in a Mock Senate session.
The reports written by Cornell's distinguished interns include: "The Electoral College in New York," by Brown; "Auto Insurance Fraud: How Should New York Combat the Problem?" by Constantino; "Universal Health Care and New York Health: A Decade of Stagnation Follows a Promising Start," by LaPage; and "Welfare-to-Well Being: An Act to Increase Data Collections on Welfare Applicants and Recipients," by Schilder.
Students said the Capital Semester program was attractive for a number of reasons.
"I wanted some real, practical, hands-on experience, and the stipend-credit combination of Capital Semester made the program very enticing," said LaPage, who interned in the office of Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried (D-75th Dist.). "Given the nature of state politics in New York, I knew that Albany would give me one-on-one time with the legislator and a chance to do meaningful work. I loved working in the volatile public policy arena -- and Albany did not disappoint."
LaPage, who will be pursuing a master's degree in health administration in the College of Human Ecology's Sloan Program, also was hired by Gottfried to finish the legislative session, and he received an internship for the rest of the summer in the district office of Assemblyman David F. Gantt (D-133rd Dist.).
The Capital Semester program is open to all Cornell undergraduates who meet the minimum GPA requirement of 2.3. Each year an average of 12 students participate in the program, which is held in the spring semester. Students receive 15 course credits, reduced tuition and a stipend of $3,500 for their participation in the program.
For more information, contact William Rosen, director of the Capital Semester program, at wr14@cornell.edu or 255-2263; or go to Capital Semester Information Online at http://www.human.cornell.edu/student/capitalsem/.
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