Fed shutdown gave students real-world political lesson

By Clint Talbott

As Congress took its final votes attempting to avert a partial federal-government shutdown, Julietta T. Landeros was leading a tour of the Capitol, her group waiting to enter the Senate gallery.

By midnight that day, Sept. 30, Landeros was furloughed along with 800,000 other federal workers. That is a bit unusual, because she is a senior majoring in political science at the University of Colorado Boulder.

She was interning for U.S. Sen. Mark Udall during the inaugural fall semester of CU-Boulder’s CU in D.C. program. She and her fellow CU students in the capital wound up in the vortex of the first partial government shutdown since 1996, their educational experience heightened by the unusual level of congressional paralysis.

It is not often that a college undergrad gets to experience such important moments in our nation’s history from an insider’s viewpoint."CU in D.C. is a study-and-internship program that debuted as a summer-only program in 2010. Beginning this year, CU in D.C. is available in fall and spring semesters, too. The program is open to all majors.

Landeros said the experience has been “amazing.”

“It is not often that a college undergrad gets to experience such important moments in our nation’s history from an insider’s viewpoint,” she said. During the shutdown, she switched gears to work for the Colorado European Union Center of Excellence.

After the 16-day shutdown, she returned to Udall’s office. She says she’s long been passionate about public policy and hopes to work in the legislative branch someday.

Besides the shutdown this fall, Congress has grappled with the crisis in Syria, implementation of the Affordable Care Act and emergency flood relief. Securing a front-row seat on this provided a real-world education.

That is the idea. The CU-Boulder strategic plan prioritizes such “experiential learning” as critical to the university’s advancement.

Tessa Ward, a junior majoring in international affairs with an intended minor in French, is also studying in the capital this fall and interning in the Women's Human Rights Department of Amnesty International.

She was not furloughed, but she noted that hearings on human rights were postponed, and meetings were difficult to schedule.

“Unfortunately human rights violations never get completely shut down, so Amnesty worked steadily throughout those 16 days,” Ward said.

Wilson Scarbeary, a junior in political science, is interning in U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet's office and was also furloughed.  He used the time to catch up on homework.

“Raymon Furth, a senior in astronomy, is interning with the CU Office of Government Relations, which is co-located with the CU in D.C. program in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Washington, D.C., building.”

Before the shutdown, Furth said he was working at full speed, attending Capitol Hill hearings and other meetings. “With all of the congressional hearings postponed, a major component of my responsibilities disappeared,” he said.

Last spring, Furth became interested in the field of space policy after enrolling in a course on the topic taught by Daniel Baker, director of CU’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.

A guest speaker in that class was Abby Benson, CU assistant vice president for research and federal relations, whose office was also seeking an intern.

In an interview earlier this year, Benson said she is happy to work with the CU in D.C. program and always pleased to talk with anyone about her work representing CU in the higher-education and science policy arenas in Washington, D.C.

“I think the CU in D.C. program is really important because exposing students to Washington earlier in their careers gives them an understanding that is useful well into their careers,” Benson said.

In fall and spring semesters, CU in D.C. students are enrolled full time, earning six credit hours for their internships and four credit hours for a weekly seminar on the Public Life of Washington, D.C., featuring lectures by well-known D.C. practitioners and experts.

Additionally, fall- and spring-semester students enroll in up to two additional courses that may count toward core graduation requirements or to their majors. In the shorter summer semester, students earn three credit hours apiece for the internship and the weekly seminar.

Students live in an apartment building near the Carnegie facility, which is a few steps away from Dupont Circle.

Ken Bickers, CU-Boulder professor of political science, directs the CU in D.C. program. As a student at Texas Christian University in 1980, Bickers found his own D.C. internship experience transformational. CU-Boulder is wise to offer a similar program he said.

“We’ve not had a year-round internship opportunity before for our students, and I think it will be as life-shaping for them as it was for me,” he told CU Connections last year. “There’s no telling where those kids will end up. Some might end up as governors or senators or professors or social workers, but they’ll all be interesting people as a result of having that experience.”

Andrew Pappas, an economics and international affairs double major who is interning with U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, concurred. In 10 years, he hopes to have earned a master’s or law degree and to be working on foreign-government legislation or in foreign affairs.

Pappas said he has a better understanding of political concepts and the news, “which is helpful not only for my research but also in having educated conversations with fellow staff members.”

Landeros offers high praise for the CU in D.C. program. “It’s not just the experience you have but the professionals you meet that make the opportunity worthwhile,” she said. “From a political science major’s perspective, it’s the most powerful learning experience I’ve ever had.”

For more information on the CU in D.C. program, see http://cuindc.colorado.edu. To discuss supporting the program, contact Kimberly Bowman, CU-Boulder director of development.