Interns on Capitol Hill need to avoid temptation

In a city run by ambitious politicians, obsessive reporters and editors, clever lobbyists and sleepless pollsters, an intern has brought Washington to its knees once again.

Interns are the lowest life form in Washington DC, akin to apprentices in the 18th century, or child laborers in the 19th century. There are differences between interns that work for the federal government and those that work for private institutions, media organizations or non-profits. In the federal government, interns are treated with condescension, disrespect and contempt, when they are noticed. Usually interns are given busy work throughout their internship, ignored by most of the senior employees and given terse congratulations at the very end of their term for their services.

On Capitol Hill and in the White House, many of the interns receive their internship not on their merits in college or by any striking essays or written exams, but through credentials or a personal or family connection with their desired office. During the summer, Capitol Hill nearly doubles in size, and the entire city seems to be under 25. It is this environment from which Chandra Levy disappeared three months ago.

People across the country have been asking what would compel an intern to seek a relationship with her boss. Some interns in DC have suggested that young, college-aged women might want a relationship with an older, powerful man because he can act as a provider, and it is thrilling when an elected official or senior staff member calls for some intimacy.

I have met several interns -- who say their friends are in relationships with men ten to fifteen years their senior and who claim that men their same age are too immature or unsure of their direction in life. Some of these interns also claim that they are not looking for a long term commitment (and neither are the older, married men) so they shy away from college-aged interns and go after graying politicos, who have the same commitments.

As ridiculous as these reasons may sound, and despite the fact that these relationships will most likely end in heartache, occasionally interns and younger staff members have inappropriate sexual relationships with their employers. There are indications that it may not be entirely their choice. Sometimes it is the older politician -- who plays the predator and pursuer -- and these younger women may not believe they are in a position to say no. Several articles this past week have put forth the hypothesis that married congressmen on the Hill are lonely during the week, longing for their wives and children, who are back home in their state. So a bright new face, excited about politics and their work, is an enticing opportunity to wash the blues away.

Staffers and legislators always know when a new crop of interns are in town. Summer interns on Capitol Hill are playfully referred to as "the flesh" by staff members. The offices downtown and on Capitol Hill, dance clubs in Southeast DC, and restaurants and bars in DuPont Circle, Georgetown, Tenleytown and Foggy Bottom, burst with youthful faces and bodies in the summer. Chandra Levy was one of them for a short while before she disappeared.

Which category did Chandra fit into? Was she the innocent intern who was preyed upon by the salacious Congressman? Or was she the conniving predator, who wore revealing intern clothing and tempted the overworked Congressman with her charm? Perhaps both.

Like so many interns who come to the Hill or work in federal government offices, Chandra may have wanted to be noticed. Interns in the Capitol sometimes get the opportunity to rub shoulders with Senators and Congressmen, greet them in the hallways or maybe spend five minutes with them in an elevator or the subway. That is usually the extent of contact. Each member's chief of staff has developed an elaborate hierarchical employment system to keep people like you and me away from our elected representatives.

Some interns try to distinguish themselves from the thousands of other interns by writing excellent memos, running errands extremely quickly or impressing senior staffers with their knowledge on House or Senate procedure. But a few interns decide to bypass that route and the hierarchy -- whether the predator or the prey, the intern will want to get noticed so badly that she may not realize the implications of her actions until she is in the newspapers.

And the media is unforgiving. This summer has been a tabloid feeding frenzy not seen since the days of Monica Lewinsky. Twenty-four hour news coverage of the Condit affair hit the airways late June lasting for two solid weeks. Even the New York Times Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Slate.com, CBS news, USA Today, and 20/20 have done features on female interns and their relationships with lecherous older men. The image of Barbara Walters asking parents if they would let their daughters go to Washington is simultaneously amusing and absurd.

There is no better place to learn about the structure and function of the federal government than Washington DC and internships provide students with daily access to the processes of policy making, legislation and enforcement. Interns are safe in Washington if they take the normal safety precautions for living in any metropolitan city.

So if interns can complete their busy work, absorb everything occurring around them and resist assertive sexual advances from their employer, they should have a successful and fun experience in our nation's capitol. Those -- who search for trouble, like Chandra or Monica, in one form or another, -- will usually find it.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.