Opportunities and Announcements

for the Week of April 24, 2020

Senior Capstone Presentations.  Senior capstone presentations concluded on Wednesday, April 22.  The Department held three remote sessions via zoom which, although not how we normally celebrate our students’ capstone work, nonetheless were successful and as well attended as our usual in-person sessions.  Many thanks to the participating faculty, family members, and friends, and congratulations to the presenters.  Please see the schedule of presentations, by sessions, identifying each student and the supervising faculty member, as well as the screen shots of those attending.  The Department is still discussing ways in which we can honor our capstone students this semester and to honor our graduating seniors.

Capstone Presentation Session Chaired by Professor Karen Beckwith

SENIOR CAPSTONE PRESENTATIONS FOR US POLITICS [MONDAY, APRIL 20]
 

Capstone Presentation Session Chaired by Professor Joseph White

SENIOR CAPSTONE PRESENTATIONS FOR US POLITICS [WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22]
 

Capstone Presentation Session Chaired by Professor Elliot Posner



SENIOR CAPSTONE PRESENTATIONS FOR COMPARATIVE POLITICS/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS [WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22]
 

Again, congratulations to all those who presented their capstone work in progress this week, and many thanks to their faculty supervisors!

P/NP and Graded Courses.  As Dean Jeff Wolcowitz reiterated in an email sent on Monday, students have until April 27, the revised deadline, for withdrawing from courses and for choosing the P/NP grading option.  The P/NP can be used in as many courses as a student wishes and hence a P grade will satisfy major, minor, and general education requirements this semester.  See also yesterday’s email from Dean Wolcowitz that underscores the April 27 deadline.  

I strongly encourage students to discuss the P/NP option with their academic advisors.  For those completing capstone projects, note that Departmental Honors in Political Science require a letter grade of A on the capstone; students choosing P/NP for their capstone work will not be eligible for departmental honors.  

If You Need Help.  CWRU students have organized the Student Activities Fee COVID-19 Emergency Fund (SAF-CEF), to provide emergency assistance funding for their peers, to help CWRU undergraduates manage the changes created by the COVID-19 pandemic. See here for the article in this week’s Observer; students can submit a request for assistance to the Student Activities Fee COVID-19 Emergency Fund in CampusGroups. 

Last Call to Request an Absentee Ballot for the Ohio Primary Elections.  In order to be able to vote, you must apply for an absentee ballot by noon on Saturday, April 25th. Go to the Ohio Secretary of State’s websitem and use one of the following three methods to get an application form or to create your own application:
 1) Print an absentee ballot application, fill it out, and mail it in to your County Board of Elections.

2) Call your Board of Elections to ask them to send you an absentee ballot application. Complete the application and mail it back to the Board.

3) Create your own application: If you do not have a printer, write your own ballot application on a blank sheet of paper and mail it to your Board of Elections. Your application should include:

• Your full name.
• Your birthdate.
• Your full residence address including county.
• The address where the ballot should be mailed if different from your registration address.
• One of these forms of ID:
  • Ohio driver’s license number,
  • Or last four digits of your Social Security number,
  • Or include a copy of an acceptable form of ID.
• Write: “I’m a qualified elector and I’m requesting an absentee ballot for the March 17th Ohio Primary.”
• Indicate which type of ballot you want (choose one):
  • Democratic,
  • Or Republican,
  • Or Libertarian,
  • Or Issues only ballot.
• Your signature.
• Include today’s date.
• Phone number (optional, but suggested).
• E-mail address (optional but suggested).

Once you receive your ballot and fill it out carefully, you have two ways to return it:
 1) By mail. If you’re mailing your ballot back in, it needs to be postmarked by Monday, April 27th.

2) Drop it off. You can also drop off your ballot to your local Board of Elections by 7:30PM Tuesday, April 28th. 
LSC Fellowship Ohio.  The legislature of the State of Ohio has announced its competition for two year-long paid internships:  1) a Legislative Internship and 2) a Media Production Internship.  As their program indicates, “The LSC Legislative Fellowship Program offers paid, full-time, 13-month professional experience that provides college graduates an unparalleled opportunity to work with the Ohio General Assembly.  Applicants to the program must have at least a bachelor’s degree by December of 2020.  All academic backgrounds are welcome and prior political experience is not required.  Successful applicants have an interest in public service and excellent communication skills, and most have a strong academic record. Fellows receive full state of Ohio employee benefits and are paid $33,800 per year, with the opportunity to earn a $2,000 bonus based on length of service in the program.”  Note that applications for the Legislative Internship are due May 1, 2020; Media Production applications are due May 31, 2020.  

More information, an application, and application instructions can be found at www.lsc.ohio.gov/fellowship or by contacting the fellowship administrator Tynita M. White (614-387-6118, Tynita.white@lsc.ohio.gov).

Wellman Hill Public Service Internships.  The Wellman Hill internship competition has concluded for this academic year.  Wellman Hill Political Science Internship Grants are intended to encourage POSC majors to pursue and accept public service summer internships. Despite the great uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wellman Hill Committee decided to go forward with this year’s competition but to make a few adjustments to the rules. The main one is that grant recipients will be allowed to do their internships next summer, if necessary. 

As in other years, the competition was fierce.  We had a wonderful range of excellent candidates.  Alas, we simply do not have sufficient funding to support all good applications. 

This year’s Wellman Hill grant recipients are: Ricky Gilmore-Vega
Aliah Lawson
Katie Toledo
Nick VitelloThe Committee also identified alternative candidates, should any of the four initial awardees be unable to complete an internship.  The alternative candidates are Madeline Myers and Noah Stein.  Congratulations to the awardees and the alternative candidates!
Many thanks to Professor Elliot Posner, for chairing the Wellman Hill Committee and for his work in organizing the annual competition.  Thanks as well to the committee members Professors Kelly McMann and Karen Beckwith, Dr. Andrew Lucker, and Professor Yuri Linetsky (University of Alabama School of Law).

More Good News.  POSC junior major Timothy Sprunt has accepted an internship offer from the Cleveland Council on World Affairs and will be working with them this summer.  Congratulations to Tim!

See also two excellent articles in this week’s Observer by POSC majors Jordan Reif and Jackson Rudoff.  Jackson contributed a photo essay on his “Life as an Essential Worker.”  With Yvonne Pan, Jordan co-authored an article on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and ways to celebrate.  Congratulations to Jackson and Jordan!!  And a belated Happy Earth Day to all!

To Our Donors:  Thank You.  Finally, I want to conclude with a note of major gratitude.  The Department of Political Science has generous donors.  Even in these difficulty times, our alumni, our friends, our former faculty make contributions that fund and support our current students and faculty.  It is not an exaggeration to say that the Department could not survive without such support.  Our Undergraduate Research and Mentoring Assistantship Program, the Careers Colloquium, our Senior Capstone Presentation dinners, the Wellman Hill Public Service Internship Program, and miscellaneous funding support for students (e.g. attending the Air Force Academy Assembly) benefit our political science undergraduates directly.  We could not provide these opportunities to them otherwise.  Our faculty rely on this support for travel for research purposes, for costs associated with completing book manuscripts, for conference and workshop attendance to present their work in progress.  Our donors range from recent graduates contributing what they can to substantial program-establishing contributions from alumnae and alumni now firmly established in their careers.  On behalf of the Department of Political Science, our students and our faculty, I thank all of our donors for doing what they can to support us.  We are, quite simply, grateful.

I hope everyone will be able to enjoy the weekend.  Despite snow this week, common in April in northeast Ohio, spring weather is nonetheless coming.  As always, stay calm, stay connected, and study political science.

With all best wishes,
Karen

Karen Beckwith
Flora Stone Mather Professor and Chair
Department of Political Science
 

Virtual Events

2020 Law Day: The 19th Amendment at 100
May 1, 12:30-1:30pm, Virtual Forum from the City Club
Virgina Kase, CEO of the League of Women Voters, will discuss the 19th Amendment at 100, including the enduring challenges to equal access to voting, especially during the corona virus pandemic.

Current Opportunities

Fall 2020 White House Internship Program
The Fall 2020 White House Internship Program application is now open until 11:59 PM EDT on Friday, May 1. The White House Internship Program is a highly competitive public service leadership program providing unique and valuable experience.

Summer Opportunities

Democracy Journal Internship
The Democracy: A Journal of Ideas offers Washington, DC-based internships in writing and editing and covers foreign topics. Applications for summer are due April 30.

Department of Veteran Affairs Summer Internship
The VA National Diversity Internship Program (NDIP) provides internship opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students. Applications are open year-round.

Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
The FDD, a Washington, DC based think tank, offers a variety of unpaid internships to undergraduate students. Applications are open until all positions are filled.

The Borgen Project
The Borgen Project, a non-profit organization aiming to end global poverty, offers telecommute internships in journalism, political affairs, and human resources.

American Enterprise Institute Summer Internships
AEI provides various internships to undergraduate students. Internships are unpaid, but applicants can apply for a scholarship to provide a monthly stipend. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

International Security Positions
Deadlines for international security positions beginning summer 2021 can be as early as this spring due to security clearance requirements.  If you are interested in such positions, begin to monitor usajobs.gov and U.S. federal agency web sites regularly now.

Graduating Senior Opportunities

Masters in Computational Social Science at the University of Chicago
The Masters in Computational Social Science at the University of Chicago teaches the skills of social scientific inference and the technical mastery of important computational methods. Students learn to make important contributions in Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Anthropology, and History. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until April 30.

Graduate Public Policy & Management Program 
The Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, offering graduate degrees in Public Policy and Management has reopened their Fall 2020 Graduate Applications.  The GRE/GMAT requirement has been waived for new applicants.

Ohio Legislative Service Commission Legislative Fellowship Program
The LSC sponsors 23 – 24 paid thirteen-month legislative fellowship positions designed to provide college graduates with practical experience in the legislative process. The fellowship program begins the first week in December of each year and continues through December 31 of the following year. Applications for legislative fellowship positions are due May 1. Applications for media production fellowship positions are due May 31.

Rotary Peace Fellowship
The Rotary Peace Fellowship program awards up to 130 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders to study at one of their peace centers in either their master’s degree program or professional development certificate program. Applications close July 1, 2020 for the 2021-2022 fellowship.

EPIK
EPIK invites recently graduated students from English-speaking countries with a motivation to share their knowledge and language with Korean students and teachers through teaching classes. Applications are open from February to July for the Fall term.

City Year
The role of a City Year AmeriCorps member is designed to help students build the social-emotional and academic skills to achieve their goals. The next application deadline in May 29, 2020.

Please note that the Department of Political Science alerts our students to a range of opportunities, including internships, fellowships, and jobs.  We do not endorse or sponsor these, and leave it to the judgment of our students what is most useful and appropriate to them.