'Penn in Washington' brings students together

WASHINGTON -- Moving to Washington, D.C. for the summer does not have to mean leaving school behind. In fact, more than 100 students participating in the Career Planning and Placement Service's "Penn in Washington" program have been able to keep in touch with other members of the University community while living and working in the nation's capital. The program, run by College junior Paula Feldman, provides "social, educational and cultural events for Penn students in the Washington area." Any University student living in the area can attend Penn in Washington events. The program has already sponsored happy hours at Washington bars, softball games against other schools, and a series of talks by Washington politicians and journalists. "The basic focus is to provide students with an insiders' view of policy-making in Washington to supplement their internship experience," Feldman said. "Also, [Penn in Washington seeks] to provide a social network with which to meet other students." Speakers have included NBC News White House correspondent and University alumna Andrea Mitchell, ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson and government officials from the Central Intelligence Agency and the Departments of the Treasury and Education. Feldman said most speakers have been very willing to talk candidly with the program's participants about Washington power politics. "There's been an incredible response from people in Washington," she said. "I've had far more acceptances to speak than I could put on the calendar." But Feldman added that she has been disappointed by a lack of student attendance at some events. Out of 130 students on the program's mailing list, only 30 have consistently attended Penn in Washington programs. "The problem is that students both don't have the time to take out of their work and don't have the interest for speakers who aren't big names," she said. Feldman added that she has begun to telephone students on the mailing list who she has not seen at events to make sure they know about the program. In addition to the series of speakers, Penn in Washington provide participants with many opportunities to meet students from other schools who are also in Washington for the summer. Feldman said she has been in constant communication with coordinators of similar programs from Yale University, Princeton University, University of California at Berkeley and other schools in order to schedule group events. Each school with a program in the area has hosted a happy hour for college students at a local bar, and there is a softball league of summer interns from different colleges. For the fireworks display at the Washington Monument on the Fourth of July, all the programs roped off a space on the Mall just for students. Feldman said the program's events have been marked by a "great spirit," adding that she has received only positive feedback.

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