Washington Jobs Give Girls Training in Informal Politics

Senators and other Washington potentates replace Wellesley instructors for six weeks each summer for certain political scinece, economics, and sociology majors who travel to the nation's capitol to learn their fields first hand.

Under a special program introduced at the college in 1943, girls who are interested and can qualify may work in government offices to got practical experience.

First started to fill in a forced vacation brought on by fuel shortages during the war, the plan has since expanded into a regular summer program. Jobs available fall roughly into three categories.

Lovelies Meet Lawmakers

In Congress, the girls work in Senators' offices, sorting and answering the many letters that flow in from constituencies, and attending committee hearings and special sessions of Congress, ordinarily closed to the public. These students get free time to talk the Congressmen and learn how the governments is operated.

Others get positions with various executive agencies, such as the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, where they help with statistical analyses. Some work for the Bureau of Prisons, compiling data on conditions in Alcatraz or the conduct of paroless. These girls often spend a week living with the staff in a womens' reformatory to see what such life is like.

The third division is not officially connected with the government. Students work for the Democratic and Republican national committees, or the Farmers' Union.

Other Colleges Included

This year, 24 girls will take these non-paying jobs. A few students of Smith, Vassar, and Mt. Holyoke are included in the roster.

Owen Stratton, associate professor of political science, has been in charge of the program since 1947. He feels that without such training, classroom learning is nothing more than "empty verbalism."