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1. Program Cost and Travel Arrangements
2. Housing Information
3. Medical Information
4. Attendance at Orientation Meetings and Program Activities
5. Obtaining Final Approval to Participate in the Program
6. Internship and Academic Courses
7. Internship Approval
8. Probation, Suspension and Dismissal from the Program
9. Major Credit for Program Courses
10. Course Credit
Washington Program (the Program) participants, regardless of their home institution, must adhere to the following policies:
1. Program Cost and Travel Arrangements
Students pay CMC tuition and the Student Activities fee, as described in the CMC Financial Information section of the CMC catalog, for the semester in Washington, DC.
Students independently arrange travel to and from the Washington DC metropolitan area based upon the Program dates. Late arrival and/or early departure are not permitted. After Program completion, CMC reimburses travel expenses based upon a predetermined amount.
CMC does not cover or reimburse expenses for the semester related to medical exams or appointments, cell phones, internet access, utilities, non-program provided entertainment, laundry or dry-cleaning, local transportation, food or meals, or any other personal expenses.
CMC students are to complete and submit all required financial aid paperwork and Program forms by the prescribed deadlines. Students not cleared for the Program by the first day of finals the semester prior to participation will be withdrawn from the Program and will need to work with their home campus housing office and Registrar for information on college housing and course registration.
2. Housing Information
In Washington DC, students arrange and pay for their own housing and meals independently. Upon submission of this signed document CMC students relinquish on-campus housing in Claremont for the semester and they will be enrolled in the Program courses by the CMC Registrar’s Office.
The Program Director will assist the students in finding Program housing. Assistance may include visiting the apartment building or house under consideration or meeting the property owner or manager. The student alone is responsible for signing the contract/lease, making payments, being a responsible tenant, and notifying the property manager of vacancy in a timely manner. Students are required to provide their prospective housing address to the Program Director prior to signing the lease.
Students are required to live on campus upon returning to CMC unless otherwise approved. Students returning from the Program may request permission to live off campus by November 1st for a spring semester or by March 1st for a fall semester, and they will be notified of the outcome of their application by December 1st or April 1st, respectively. Approval is never guaranteed. If the application is denied, students are required to live on campus and will be billed accordingly. In semesters where the College finds itself at capacity in the on-campus housing system, CMC reserves the right to require students returning from the Program to live off-campus. CMC will notify students participating in the Program if they must return to off-campus housing no later than November 15th (for fall participants) or March 30th (for spring participants).
3. Medical Information
Per CMC policy, all enrolled students must have health insurance coverage. Enrolled domestic students who carry personal insurance coverage may waive enrollment in the Claremont Colleges Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) by submitting information and proof of coverage annually via their SHIP Insurance Verification Portal. Students who do not complete the waiver process will be enrolled in SHIP. It is up to the student to research the claims process and find medical providers that will work with their personal medical coverage for the Program semester.
Upon request, five appointments are provided per student with a mental health provider. Additional appointments are at the expense of the student. Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services (MCAPS) is available for on-call therapy at 909-621-8202 and press 1 to be connected immediately to a therapist.
4. Attendance at Orientation Meetings and Program Activities
Attendance at all Program meetings and events is mandatory. In rare circumstances, a student may have a prior commitment that warrants an exception.
Should such a situation occur, students are required to request and, if appropriate, receive approval to be excused by the Program Director no less than 24 hours prior to the Program event. Students are then responsible for making arrangements to obtain the information discussed or distributed at the meetings. Unapproved or late requests for absences may result in the student being responsible to reimburse the college for prepaid tickets or expenses as applicable.
Students are required to participate in the Program in its entirety including orientation, guest speakers, program events and activities that are marked as “mandatory”, and final exams.
5. Obtaining Final Approval to Participate in the Program
Final Program participation is contingent upon clearance of good academic, financial, and conduct standing as per the appropriate CMC and home institution guidelines and policies. Furthermore, participation is contingent upon the student responding to inquiries relating to completing all required financial aid and Program forms or submission requirements. The Center for Global Education staff reviews the standing of all applicants with appropriate offices prior to finalizing approval.
Should a student seek to withdraw from the Program prior to the start of the semester, they must notify the CMC Director of Global Education in writing of their intention to either take a leave of absence or remain on campus. On-campus housing is not guaranteed.
6. Internship and Academic Courses
The Program internship is a 1-unit CMC course as listed in the CMC Course Catalog, GOV30: Internship in Politics. All participants will be registered for this 1-unit course and receive a letter grade and credit. The internship is expected to familiarize students with the Washington DC political ecosystem populated by federal agencies, lobbying firms, think tanks, private companies and non-profit organizations to name a few entities associated with policy making. Intern duties vary by organization and assignment. Interns may end up drafting legislation, working on foreign policy issues, planning activities of nonprofit organizations, interacting with visitors and advocacy groups, helping with administrative work, writing press releases, or doing research for companies, scholars and experts.
All internships should provide students with the types of experiences that would be afforded to early-career professional staff. Students must inform the Program Director if their internship does not meet these requirements.
The internship experience complements three additional semester-length academic courses; GOV126(B): Problems in Public Policy, GOV128: Power, Politics, and Persuasion in Washington, and GOV127: Washington Research Project. GOV 126(B) and GOV 128 focus on policymaking and examining topics such as the presidency, Congress, elections, federal agencies, courts, mass media, advocacy organizations and congressional offices. The students also study the Washington community and its mores, folkways, and working styles. They learn how the insiders use power and persuasion to achieve their goals and how speeches and op-eds are written. GOV127 allows students to choose their advisors and topics of their research. Ordinarily, advisors are professors from The Claremont Colleges either in Claremont or with the Program in Washington DC. Program courses may vary from time to time.
7. Internship Approval
Students are responsible for securing their own internships. Resources for obtaining an internship may include the Program Director, the on-campus faculty, members of the Soll Center for Student Opportunity staff, and/or Program or College alumni.
Once the student has identified an internship of his/her liking and scheduled an interview with a prospective employer, s/he is required to send a message to the Program Director and secure her approval of the internship prior to accepting the offer. In cases where internships do not appear to meet the Program standards, the Internship Committee, which consists of several CMC faculty, the Director of the Washington Program and Director of the Center for Global Education, has the final authority to approve or disapprove the internship. The student, after accepting the internship, may not change internship without serious academic or health reasons and prior written approval from the Program Director. In rare cases, the Program Director and the Internships Committee may approve the change of internships for other compelling reasons.
Approved internships are 40 hours per week for the length of the semester. In cases where full-time internships are not offered, 30 hours a week may be approved by the Internship Committee. Internship providers may be governmental agencies, congressional offices, the White House, the media, nonprofit organizations and businesses that are duly registered and have more than two years of operating history. These requirements ensure that the student works in a well-functioning and established organization with resources commonly available through Human Resources offices.
Work is conducted on-site with regular supervision unless otherwise agreed upon with the internship supervisor. The student is required to notify the Program Director if s/he is asked to telework for the supervisor. If teleworking is planned to last for more than two weeks, the student must obtain the Program Director’s approval in writing.
Students are not allowed to travel on business outside the Washington DC. metropolitan area without prior notification to and written approval from the Program Director. If such approval is granted, it is the employers’ responsibility to review with the intern what health, hospitalization, and liability coverage is provided while in transit and at the destination. At the beginning of the semester, students are given a letter they are required to provide to their supervisors. The letter informs the supervisor of this travel policy and other CMC internship related matters.
Performance in the internship is assessed by the Program Director in consultation with the internship supervisor. The supervisor’s input is critical for determining the student’s grade for the internship course. The Program Director may include participation in extracurricular activities in the grading criteria for the internship. In such cases, the Program Director alerts the students and, if requested, the internship supervisor, no less than two weeks prior to the event that these activities are “mandatory”. If a two-week notification is not possible due to a schedule change by the hosting agency, organization or guest speaker, the Program Director may excuse students from participation if they have work related conflicts as indicated by their supervisor and the student may be able to arrange alternative activities.
8. Probation, Suspension and Dismissal from the Program
CMC’s Guide to Student Life, Student Code of Conduct, and Statement of Academic Policy govern student conduct while on the Program. Students may not drop a course, including the credit bearing research paper/independent study project, while on the Program. Students may not resign or withdraw from their internship while on the Program unless such a withdrawal is approved in writing by the Program Director in response to a written request. On very rare occasion, should a student seek to change internship organizations or offices, the student must secure a written approval from the Program Director. The Program Director’s approval is required for both resigning from the original internship and starting the new internship. Failure to secure both approvals are grounds for removal from the Program.
Students may be dismissed from the Program if terminated from their internship or if they are unable to complete coursework as determined by the Program Director and the CMC Academic Standards Committee (ASC) after conducting a thorough investigation of the events leading up to and including the termination itself. Students are subject to the CMC disciplinary process and the Human Resources policies of the internship host organization while participating in the Program. Students may also be subject to further consequences based upon the home campus’ policies. International students are subject to the regulations and laws for students with F-1 or other visas.
9. Major Credit for Program Courses
CMC students seeking to receive major credit for the research paper/independent study project from any department other than the CMC Government Department must obtain the approval from the appropriate Department Chair and must ensure that the CMC Registrar’s Office receives a copy of all approvals. All students are encouraged to write this research paper based upon a topic related to their internship. Non-CMC students are encouraged to refer to their home institution’s policies regarding program and credit approval.
10. Course Credit
All courses, including the internship, will be taken for a letter grade, will be listed on the official transcript, and will be factored into the cumulative GPA. Credit/No Credit is not an option for Program courses, including the internship.
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