At the beginning of the fall semester, 17 Hillsdale College students traveled to a still partially-closed Washington, D.C., to spend the semester participating in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program. Students on the program in the spring were sent home early due to April’s COVID-19 shutdown.
Students are spending their fall semesters interning for D.C. organizations and taking classes, but the WHIP experience looks different from in previous years. COVID-19 restrictions have cancelled some of the semester’s typical programming, including trips to the theatre and baseball games. However, visits to Mount Vernon and Gettysburg and dinners at Hillsdale’s Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center and Vice President of Washington Operations Matthew Spalding’s home are still on as scheduled. Five students work remotely due to COVID-19 policies within their internship programs.
Even with the changes to WHIP this semester, senior Emma Eismann said she feels grateful to be part of it.
“It’s been really amazing to see Hillsdale staff come together and make this program as close to normal as possible,” Eismann said. “We are very thankful for that.”
According to Spalding, WHIP administrators successfully submitted a COVID-19 policy report to the District of Columbia that includes several precautions designed to mitigate the virus. The program’s policies include using modular ionization technology and high-efficiency particulate absorbing air filters, also installed on Hillsdale’s main campus. In-person classes are held in large rooms with enough space for students to maintain social distancing. A room within the Hillsdale House in D.C. has been reserved for quarantine if needed, and Andrew Cureton ’10, a medical doctor, is available for students who are sick or need to be tested.
“We’re fully operational,” Spalding said. “We will be fully operational next semester and expect to stay on top of everything here so our students can participate in internships and stay safe.”
Junior Ceanna Hayes planned to be on WHIP this fall but decided against it after her internship went virtual. She said the change of plans is an opportunity to sign up for classes only offered this semester and thinks the program will be worth the wait.
“I wanted to have the full intern experience and be able to really dive into the work,” Hayes said. “Working remotely would have meant sitting in the D.C. housing and working on my computer. I felt I would rather postpone and get the D.C. experience and actually be able to enjoy that work and the internship, and to grow as much as possible from it.”
Because many organizations canceled their internships this semester, Undergraduate Program Coordinator Jennifer Lessnau said it was disappointing that opportunities were somewhat limited.
Senior Victoria Marshall’s internship with the Department of Health and Human Services was canceled when its offices decided to work remotely. Instead, she secured an internship in Congressman Tom McClintock’s office.
“I’m very thankful that I’m still getting the classic WHIP experience I wanted,” Marshall said. “We’re excited for the election because we’re where the action is.”
Lessnau said she does not think the students’ experience of WHIP has been lessened by the changes this semester.
“There are so many wonderful things that happen with this program, and COVID is definitely not stopping that,” Lessnau said. “I think it’s very important that students are out there still living out professionally what we learn at Hillsdale. It’s something I think that they will be able to really reflect on once they’re done with college and say, ‘Actually, I still got to work in Washington D.C. when COVID was going on.’”
