XGI Blood Drive Sets Record of 138 Pints
Put Classroom Theory to Work in Internship Program
By Andrea Williard
Seven years ago, David Behrs,
Penn State Harrisburg's coordinator of
undergraduate admissions, spent four
months in jail--not as an inmate, but as
an intern.
Behrs, then a senior at Eliza
bethtown College pursuing a degree in
counseling, was chosen to participate in
an internship program at the State Cor
rectional Institution at Camp Hill. As
signed to the diagnostic ward, he worked
with a psychologist and social worker
interviewing and counseling inmates.
Behrs is just one of many suc
cessful professionals who participated in
an internship program while in college.
Internships--working in a pro
fessional setting for college credits--are
valuable educational experiences. They
provide students with the opportunity to
use classroom theory in real-life situa
tions.
Rie Gentzler, coordinator of
Penn State Harrisburg's behavioral sci-
ence internship program, feels it is very
important to combine academics with
field experience. "What students learn in
the classroom is really being learned, in
a sense, in a vacuum," said Gentzler.
"It's not until students actually get out
and work in the field that they understand
the value of what they've learned. They
come back with a whole different per
spective of what they're doing in the
classroom . . . and are a lot more
enthusiastic."
Internships vary and can be
structured to develop individual interests.
One student may get involved in drug
and alcohol programs and use the theory
learned in courses such as "Substances in
Society," while another may intern at
the state Capitol as a legislative re
searcher.
Stefan Jordan did just that.
Jordan, a political science student, in
terned at State Rep. John Davis's
legislative office during his senior year
at Lincoln University. "It gave me a
chance to develop communications
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skills. I had to do research, develop
newsletters, and meet and deal with other
government agencies," said Jordan.
A good internship should be a
testing period and an opportunity for the
student to find out if he or she is making
the right career choice. "Even though
you can speculate on what a job setting
is going to be like, it's not until you're
actually there on a continuing basis that
you know what it's really like," said
Gentzler.
Another primary value of doing
an internship is that "the students will
be exposed to job opportunities in their
field," said Eton Churchill, coordinator
for communications interships at Penn
State Harrisburg. Students usually
intern in their senior year right before
graduation. It helps them develop a
valuable network of contacts.
Students are expected to have
the basic skills to function profes
sionally in their fields. "If a student goes
into an internship well prepared for the
tasks he is undertaking, the student can
Capital Times, Nov. 18, 1987 -- Page 5
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become a productive part of the partici
pating employer's staff in two or three
weeks," said Churchill.
Why does an organization ac
cept an intern? Is it basically just a trade
off in which the student gets experience
and the employer gets cheap labor? Not
always, according to Gentzler. "In the
best internship programs, it is a real
commitment on the part of the orga
nization or supervisor to the education of
the next generation of professionals,"
she said.
Students interested in an intern
ship should contact their academic ad
viser or department.
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Photos by Kyle Weaver
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