Yesterday morning, Enterprise Rent-A-Car President and CEO Andrew C. Taylor announced his company’s $25 million donation to Washington University. “The gift, which will endow a permanent fund, is the largest ever made for undergraduate scholarships in the university’s history” and will guarantee financial support for at least thirty students each year. Specifically, half of the earnings from the “Enterprise Fund” will be directed to African-American students based upon merit-based criteria, and the other half will be directed towards any student who demonstrates financial need.
As a community, we ought to thank Enterprise for their generous contribution and for the laudable goal, increasing the representation of a traditionally under-represented group at American colleges, to which their donation aspires. Certainly, the financial backing of one of St. Louis’ premier businesses is appreciated-especially if it aims towards improving the quality of the student body. But I would not praise each of WU’s fundraising priorities with similar resolve. For example, how can the University continue to so heavily promote student diversity while continuing to ignore the homogenous nature of the faculty that instruct us? A second example is the dearth of financial support for students once they arrive on campus.
Specifically, I refer to the lack of financial assistance for students who wish to complete a public service internship during a collegiate summer. I have long been critical of the administration’s effort to emulate our “peer institutions.” But in at least in this respect, related to fundraising, I believe we ought to do so. A quick, two-minute Internet search reveal that many of America’s colleges and universities-from Harvard, Brown and Yale to the University of Massachusetts and Santa Monica Community College-all provide extensive financial support for enrolled students wishing to complete a no-pay or low-pay summer internship in public service. In contrast, Arts and Sciences students at WU currently have one option, and one option only, the Stern Summer Service Program. Even then, their choice is limited, as the program is available only to a single student, and only to those who wish to undertake community service-not those who wish to intern and serve in government.
The lack of monetary resources available to said students is particularly troubling, in both the short and long-term. Internships at a government office, non-profit organization, agencies of social work, or even newspaper are often, unlike their counterparts in business or engineering, unpaid. That is not to say that all students majoring in finance or biochemical engineering are compensated for their summer toil, but rather that, in comparison to students majoring in political science, education, and women’s studies, they are afforded many more paid opportunities. Unfortunately, the predictable result of this state of affairs is that many students who would otherwise choose a summer of community service or government work are instead forced to accept paid internships in the for-profit private sector. Indeed, while each of my friends who attend school in the Northeast have been able-through pecuniary support offered by their college or university-to afford summer internships in public service, I cannot say the same of many of the people I know who study in St. Louis, myself included. The harmful effect, however, of such missed opportunity extends well beyond the summer, as a student who cannot find a way to afford a three-month internship in public service is unlikely to consider two years of service doable, much less a career of such noble work.
Certainly, WU, which consistently receives high marks for financial resources in the U.S. News rankings, is very generous in terms of the merit and need-based financial assistance it awards students, myself included. And funds are available for student research during the summer, primarily in the sciences. Recently, University Trustee and WU alum Steve Fossett kindly supplemented these resources by providing funds for four student fellowships in environmental studies research. His efforts are also to be praised, but WU should do more to support valuable summer experiences for its students.
Classes of parents and alumni (for many of you readers, that means you!), rather than the college or university itself, often provide the financial backing for students to take public service internships at many of our peer institutions. For example, Wellesley students apply not only for scholarships sponsored by specific alumni, but also for the internship funds donated for public service by the Class of 1962 and 1969. In considering these alternate sources of funding, and in stepping up efforts aimed at convincing traditional corporate donors to financially support student internships, the administration would not only fulfill Enterprise’s goal, enabling students to attend this wonderful university, but also a larger and more important mission, ensuring that once here, students are afforded opportunities which both improve the quality of their undergraduate education and enable them to at least consider a career in public service after graduation.
Yoni Cohen, class of 2003, is opinion editor majoring in political science. He may be reached at [email protected].