Spring Break in the District

Experiencing SCOTUS

The Supreme Court of the United States, like most offices within the federal government, offers free entrance and tours to visitors. And, as part of the CMC Program Orientation, Dr. Spalding typically arranges an opportunity for the class to visit the Court and meet with some of the clerks during the visit...

Some of the more touristy features of the Court include touching the foot of John Marshal in hopes of gaining some good luck during law school. 

... however, no tour or visit to the Court can match experiencing the Court in action especially during controversial cases dealing with the Constitutionality of legislation like California's Prop 8 and the US Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). 

Getting In

Most people, as I've come to realize, are not aware that the Court hearings are open to all members of the general public. This is probably because the majority of the seating in the Court is reserved for lawyers and witnesses of the case, members of the Supreme Court Bar and member of the press. As a result, the 'gen pop' must often wait in long lines and sometimes even camp out for several days in order to gain a ticket. 

Day Two of my urban camping adventure. Credit for this photo belongs to the European Pressphoto Agency.   

On Sunday night, after the line (which began on Thursday night) had extended for more than one block, reporters from around the world became eager to understand why people were so interested in waiting in line. After all wait really was insane, not to mention cold, wet, and dirty. 

Through the misery of waiting in line, I became friends with the people around me. Among them was a law student from Boston, Massachusetts who was there because of his interest in Constitutional Law and to show support for equal rights. Also present was an Army veteran and equal rights activist from Mountain View, California who wanted the right to marry her longtime partner; and, a couple from New York City who had been following the DOMA case since the District Court hearing. Like the woman from California, the New Yorkers also wanted the right to marry and enjoy the federal benefits of married people - including the right to sponsor a person for citizenship. 

In the time we spent waiting in line, we chatted about where we came from, why we were there and our predictions about the Court's ruling. While I could have stayed home and read about the different stakeholder groups that where interested in the cases and I could have read incredibly intelligent people's predictions about the cases, I chose to camp out during some of DC's worst winter weather alongside a group of strangers; because I personally felt that this was an important piece of my understanding and promotion of civil rights. The people I met in my time camping out were all there for different reasons and they each uniquely affected my understanding of the impact of  Prop 8, DOMA, and eventually the Court's ruling on individual people - which was probably the most incredible and valuable piece of my experience.

 

I've got the Golden Red Ticket

At seven thirty Tuesday morning, after having camped outside the Court since Sunday afternoon, a Supreme Court officer distributed the long sought after tickets. 

After waiting in line for 3 days, I was given ticket number 38.
This picture was taken as the first 50 people waited to enter the Court.  

The excitement of entering the Court didn't really set in until I stood at the top of the marble staircase in front of the Court holding my ticket - at which point the group of friends I had made cheered and hugged.

Once inside, we had an opportunity to have breakfast in the SCOTUS cafeteria and freshen up before we went into the Court room.

In side the Court, I sat in the first row reserved for the general public - just across from the Lt. Governor of California ;) 

As I do not mean for this to be a political post, I won't discuss the argument details of the hearing (a full transcript can be found at the Supreme Court's website). However, I will note, one of the more interesting insights that I had was of the Justice's themselves. Prior to attending the hearing, I gave little consideration to who the Justice's were and how even in a removed context, each one of them seemed to represent certain groups/ factions of America. Additionally, I never expected the Justice's to have nearly as much personality or sharp humor as they expressed during either of the hearings.  

Leaving the Court

At the end of the hearing, I walked out the center doors of the Court and stood in amazement as I looked down on the crowd that had amassed during the hearing. 

Demonstrators outside of the Court on March 26. 

While my mind was busy trying to process the Justice's concerns and the arguments being made, I decided I needed to take a moment to de-brief and process what had just happened. Instead I walked down the steps of the Court and was immediately swarmed by reporters wanting a personal perspective of the case and activists who wanted to know what just happened. One woman in particular was not shy about her demands to know if the Court would grant the case Cert and make a decision (a common fear among those who support marriage equality). 

Round Two - DOMA

After collecting all my stuff on Tuesday afternoon, I needed to sleep in a proper bed and I really needed a warm shower. So, I headed for home knowing that I'd return early the next morning to watch the Court hear the DOMA case. 

Waiting in line to enter the Court on Wednesday, March 27. 

 Like the Prop 8 case, as I waited in line (although this time for a much shorter time) I chatted with the people around me. Additionally, on Wednesday I had the opportunity to enjoy more of the outside demonstrations.

Although I was unwilling to camp out another

night, I was able to get into the three minute line 

and see some of the DOMA case.

In addition to offered tickets to listen in on the entire hearing, there is also a 3 minute line for people who cannot afford to wait in line or people who merely want a glimpse of the Court at work.

After having a chance to hear the cases and see the Court in action, I was eager to go home and begin a much needed relaxing Spring Break filled with sleep, TV, delivery food and more sleep. 

It's like the Ath...

DC  Talks and Special Events

For me, finding an internship that would allow me to attend special events in DC like conferences  think-tank talks, Supreme Court hearings and Senate hearings was really important. And, while I may have stuck gold with finding a flexible and understanding internship supervisor, there is really so much going on in DC that there will always be an opportunity to attend interesting events - and if you develop a strong enough reputation in your office you may be able to ask for a morning off.  

There is a lot to learn in DC and a lot of brilliant people wanting to share their knowledge. In addition to listening to great speakers, DC events are great networking opportunities. When you do meet great people, don't be shy about being a CMC student - DC maybe the only place outside of Claremont where CMC is a recognized and respected institution. 

Photo with Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont after he spoke at the annual States-Solutions Conference in DC sponsored by Microsoft-POLITICO. After making at least 5 Ben & Jerry's plugs during his conversation the Governor spent some time in the lobby chatting with guests before meeting with the other Democratic governors and Pres. Obama for lunch at the White House.

Students: Sign up for all the wonderful DC list serves and event notifications you can find (linktank is a great starter) and attend events - some of them have free food...

Supervisors: Be flexible? 

The Nine-to-Five, Professional, Interning Part of the Day & Recommendations for Future Students

The Nine-to-Five, Professional, Interning Part of the Day 

In the Spring 2013 group we have a internship placements ranging from non-profit organizations, embassies and government offices to policy advocacy, think-tank and campaign finance groups. 

• Non-profits: Ashoka, Children's Defense Fund and Human Rights Watch
• Government: Embassy of Canada, National Endowment for the Arts, and White House
• Lobbying groups: No Labels and Wexler & Walker Public Policy Advocates
• Think-tanks: The Atlantic Council and The Heritage Foundation
• Campaign Fundraising: Angerholzer Team (a super secretive Dem. campaign finance group). 

Although we haven't been in DC long, we have had sometime to enjoy the perks of interning here. Eating free dinners at The Heritage Foundation, getting paid at Wexler & Walker, receiving airtime at the White House, and traveling to NYC with No Labels all add to make interning in DC unlike an internship anywhere else in country. Along with the awesome perks, many of us have also had some interesting projects. Reyn, for example, says the "most interesting project [at Wexler & Walker, so far] was working with my boss to help a client with a public relations issue." Although vague in his response, we trust he's enjoying his work. Henry, who is working for the Atlantic Council, was able to provide a bit more detail about his favorite assignment: 

My favorite assignment so far was drafting a memo on a corporation with whom the Council wishes to initiate a substantive partnership. It was fun to learn about the corporation and tease out its reasons for being interested in the Council's work. I have also enjoyed helping out with event preparation, mainly by composing bios on the keynote speakers (who are always fascinating figures in US foreign policy) and drafting invitations.

Like Reyn and Henry, Elena has enjoyed "the opportunity to be able to participate in research and events that remind Americans of our founding principles and their continuing importance in today's policies" while interning at The Heritage Foundation. Unlike most years we do not have any interns working in Congressional offices and we have chosen to break tradition in our living arrangements.

Internship Recommendations for Future Students

Finding an internship:

1. Stay in constant contact with Dr. Spalding and Professor Pitney 
   - DC Survival Tip: Stay on Prof. Pitney and Dr. Spalding good-side. They are both very well connected and knowledgeable about DC life, internships and housing.
   
   
2. Use Professor Pitney's website and get on his internship email list serve
   - Before meeting with Prof. Pitney, be sure to take a look at his DC Internship and Housing Website. Getting on the Pitney Internship Email Serve will also provide you with updates on new internship postings
   
   
3. Talk to anyone and everyone who has knowledge of DC
   - "Professors and program alumni can help you come up with ideas about the types of places you might want to work or help you narrow down your options. Talking to multiple people about their experiences or their suggestions can help you see the situation from a different perspective or learn about great opportunities you had not originally considered." - Elena

Keeping your internship: 

1. You are one of many DC interns
   - There are a lot of interns who come through DC semester after semester, if you want to make an impression work hard, stay humble and be professional

2. Take pride in all the work you do, even if, you are just stapling packets together
   - No matter how meaningless a task may seem, there is a reason for doing it so do it well

3. Always use the 15 Minute Rule & Arrive at work ready to work
   - Be mindful of commute time: the metro is not perfect and buses are even less perfect.

4. DC's a small and highly connected city - Be careful of what you say in public
   - “Don't say anything in public that you don't want printed on the headline of the Washington Post, with your name next to it” - Dr. Spalding

5. Have something interesting to say when your stuck in the elevator with the executive members of internship place

- In the past week, I was caught in the elevator three times with the founder of the organization I am interning with. While most people at the organization would envy the precious 45-60 seconds I had with him each time we were in the elevator, I was mortified. On the first elevator ride, he stared at me waiting to hear something profound and enlightening (as he does to all people). In stead I panicked and we talked about the potential later that night snow. The next morning, to my luck, we shared the elevator again; and, again we chatted about snow. (Just to note, this was in February and there hadn't been snow on the ground in weeks.) Thoroughly embarrassed, I told my supervisor about my dilemma. After laughing at me for a few seconds (maybe a few minutes), he let me in on a secrete: everyone struggles with the infamous quest-for-enlightenment stare. Although I didn't get much useful advice from my supervisor, I decide to take a stand against shameful elevator rides. Thankfully, later that day I was invited to sit-in on a board meeting in the Founder's office. The meeting not only allowed me to gain insight into the direction of the organization, but I also got to glance around the room and learn a bit about who our Founder is beyond his title. On our third elevator ride, we discussed hiking (one of his favorite pastimes), which he seemed much more engaged in. Although I haven't had my moment to say something inspiring, at least we weren't talking about snow.

Bursting out of the Claremont Bubble (In a Good Way)

Bursting out of the Claremont Bubble (In a Good Way)

Initially, the fear of leaving the friends, dining halls and Sushi Cruise can be overwhelming. The combination of emotions that go along with moving to DC, getting an internship, and joining real-life build into a sort of finals-week-esque mixture of excitement, suspense, and sleepy-eyed frenzy. Thankfully, with the support of friends, parents, CMC staff and a jam-packed Orientation Week program participants soon find there is no time for looking back. 

(Distance from Green Beach to the National Mall 2,638 miles)

Leaving for CMC and Pomona in order to work a full-time internships and attend class full-time may seem ludacris to some students, but for the Type-A students the program attracts it's a perfect fit. Knowing that we would be embarking on the busiest semester of our undergraduate years, we had a verity of reasons for wanting to come to DC. Some of us wanted to explore a new city and network for post-graduation. Henry, a junior at CMC, says he came to DC because he "was very interested in learning the role played by think tanks and learning more about the world". While other DC interns wanted to find out if politics, government, think-tanks and non-profits were career options they could seriously consider after graduation. Ultimately, we were driven by a desire to take part in something new, challenging and fun. 

Although the semester is only about one month in, many of us have already become comfortable with grocery shopping, paying bills, getting to work each morning, and occasionally having a 'Washington Moment'. 

Stay tuned in for more on our DC lives: Upcoming blogs include where we work, live and spend our free time. 

Jazzercise

I’m by no means an athlete, but I like to get my workout on now and again. Back on campus I sometimes like to venture out to the Tiernan Field House at Scripps, and sometimes, when I’m super desperate, I’ll even go to Ducey. Unfortunately, however, there is no Ducey gym in Washington D.C, so I decided to pick up jogging. I have been a consistent jogger in the past, and I tend to like the activity, but as the DC winter crept up, and the cold blew in, jogging became impractical. So, my roommate Abby and I began to hunt for a gym.

Let me be blunt, the gym hunt blew my mind. I never knew that it costs so much to look fly. The first gym that I toured was the YMCA…the YMCA! I thought that Y’s were supposed to be inexpensive community gyms for people who live in urban areas… I was so wrong.

In DC, a student membership to the YMCA is $60 a month plus a hundred-dollar starter fee! If you’re not a student then it costs $75 a month! I wouldn’t pay a gym that kind of money unless they had a ‘we can make you look like Adriana Lima’ guarantee. I mean, for that much money I could just pull a Heidi Montague and have plastic surgery!

Obviously, I was disheartened, but then fate stepped in.

One day, while I was perusing the World Wide Web I came across the website for the Holy Grail, also known as Washington Sports Club. WSC has a trail membership deal that allows you to join for a month for the bargain price of $30! Not only are the prices good though, the gym itself is amazing. There are Zumba classes ( my favorite), boot camps, ellipticals, and everything else that anyone could ever want from punching bags to dance studios. And to top it all off, the Washington Sports Club has a steam room.

What is a steam room? You might ask. Well, a steam room is a facial for your whole body that costs you approximately 1 dollar a use! It’s amazing, so amazing in fact that I plan to drag my roommate Mackenzie to it right after I publish this blog post.

I dont have a picture of the gym so I thought I would use this one. I'm sure we can all agree that Boehner goes to the gym...probably one with a tanning bed. 

Lesson of the day:

When winter threatens to make you fat, join the Washington Sports Club.

Turkey...the country that is!

Several weeks ago my friend Laila discovered the best kept secret in D.C…. embassy parties! In D.C. all of the embassies are located in a beautiful part of town called Embassy Row. Apparently, every now and then the embassies host parties in order to up their popularity within the District, the trick is finding out about them. After getting an insider tip (from a website called Cloture Club), my friend Laila invited our entire class to a party at the Turkish Embassy Residence. Amazingly, only two of us showed up (Abby and I), but it was great. The building was beautiful and ornate, plus there was music, food, drinks, and culture, and it was all free!

We mingled in the living room of the Turkish Ambassador, dined on Turkish delicacies, and even hung our coats in the official embassy coatroom, complete with moving shelves!

The Embassy Residence

Free food!

Overall, the evening was pretty perfect, however there were two awkward moments…

First, after we sat down to eat, a Turkish man who wanted to chat with us, but who obviously didn’t speak English very well, joined us. This led to a very strange interaction, which ended with he and I silently and awkwardly smiling at each other for a while before he got up and walked away.  After that, I became concerned that he didn’t know anyone. Accordingly, I followed him around for the rest of the night to make sure that he was having fun.

Second, we ingested the most disgusting food that was ever created. In general, Turkish food is amazing! It’s savory and unctuous and wonderful, however, every genre has it’s pitfalls, and Turkish cuisine is not exempt. With dinner we were served some baba ganoush that’s recipe goes like this:

Take one eggplant and soak in 4 cups of formaldehyde until ripe and tender

Macerate with a large fork until chucky and yet simultaneously milky

Add in a squirt of Vegemite and a pinch of ash

Heat in a smoker at 800 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 hours

Garnish with chopped tomatoes, serve, and enjoy!

…Even Abby, who is vegetarian and eats like an exotic bird, literally spit her’s out before exclaiming “Dear Jesus! Get it off my tongue!”

The offensive culprit can be seen in the top left corner of the middle plate. (cream colored)

Lesson of the day: Always go to the embassy parties, but keep that baba ganoush out of your mouth!

My beautiful dates :)

The Queen of Turkey

You know you’re not in Claremont when…

Washington DC is not Claremont, California. The weather is colder; there are tall buildings, and you’re not constantly surrounded by 18-22 year olds. However, regardless of these differences, it is easy for a CMCer to become complacent in the District because of a delusional thinking pattern, which I like to call TNCenitus. To be more specific, those who suffer from TNCenitus harbor the belief that regardless of time or place “If anything happens, Camp Sec will pick me up in a golf cart.” Obviously, this thinking is flawed, but I must admit even I suffered from it in the beginning. That is, until the cold hard DC streets taught me some big bad lessons.

Accordingly, for this blog post I thought I would recount some of the nighttime adventures that made me jump, run, scream, and ultimately realize…”Toto, we aren’t in Claremont anymore.”

1^st) You know you’re not in Claremont when you find street-locks.

Several days ago, my lovely roommate Abby discovered a smattering of disembodied dreadlocks strewn across the street. Of course we returned to take pictures! I’m not sure how a person could lose their dread locks on the street, but I like to think that a man had a Pedro moment when his hair was making his head hot, so he shaved it.

2^nd) You know you’re not in Claremont when strangers throw cans of beer at you.

Once, a grown woman threw a full beer at Abby, Mackenzie, and I from her porch. She then proceeded to laugh so hard that she convinced me that it was funny, so I laughed too.

3^rd) You know you’re not in Claremont when rats chase you into traffic.

Several weeks ago, Abby, Mackenzie, and I were walking when a huge rat ran across the sidewalk right in front of us. Instantly, I started screaming and in my panic I started to run into the street. Meanwhile, Abby, who feared that I would be hit by a car, also started screaming and chasing after me. Poor Mackenzie looked on in confused horror. After we had all calmed down, we realized that a strange man had witnessed the whole ordeal. He was practically rolling on the ground laughing at us.

4^th) You know you’re not in Claremont when you find a blood covered man.

Once my roommates and our friend Katie were walking at night when we found a man passed out on the street. At first we thought that he was drunk, but as we got closer we realized that he was covered in blood. Instantly, Katie took out her phone to call 911 and Mackenzie and I tried to see if the man was ok. As we got closer I noticed that the man was young and that he had cuff links in the shape of Texas. As we stood over him he started to wake up; he was totally disoriented. He managed to tell me that his name was Newman, but then he freaked out and tried to run (really all he could do was crawl) away from us. Eventually, he got picked up by an ambulance and we walked home…it was weird.