Six Concord University students participated in the Frasure-Singleton Legislative Internship during the 2015 session of the West Virginia Legislature.
“The Frasure-Singleton Legislative Internship is a great opportunity for our Political Science majors to witness government in action,” Dr. Sally J. Howard, associate professor of Political Science, said. “We were thrilled to have six of our students selected to participate this year. They all came back with great stories and great insight into the workings of state government.”
Saul Harlow, a junior Political Science and Pre-Law major from Summersville, WV, describes the internship as “unparalleled.”
“Frasure-Singleton was an unparalleled experience that provided an excellent opportunity to really dive into the intimate details of our legislature and its modus operandi,” he said.
The Frasure-Singleton Internship Program is held for a two-week period during the Legislature’s mid-session. Each student participates for one week.
The students selected for the internship are undergraduates from the state’s colleges and universities. Each is assigned to assist a senator or delegate. Participants learn about the legislative process, attend committee meetings and public hearings, and sit on the floor during the Legislature’s daily sessions. During the week, they also assist legislators with issue research, constituent requests, and other legislative tasks.
“I really got to understand the legislative process a lot better and learned that most delegates and senators really are there to do their best in representing their constituents,” junior Political Science major Emily Hawkins said. “This internship really humanized our representatives to show that they are just normal people trying to work together to create better laws for a better state.
“The committee meetings were my favorite part of the internship, specifically the Education and Health committee meetings. Many of the bills proposed and discussed at these meetings have some impact on either myself, my family, or the people in my area,” she said. Hawkins is a resident of Beckley, WV
“I loved when interested groups and concerned citizens would come to the capitol and these committee meetings to either support or oppose a piece of legislation,” she said. “In a state with such a low voter turnout, this was inspiring to see.”
“The Frasure-Singleton Internship is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in the legislative process,” Hunter Horton, a senior from Sophia, WV, said. “It was very intriguing to see how the legislative branch operates … and impressive to witness the high level of dedication it takes to accomplish goals in a political environment.
“It was great to see firsthand how lucky we are as southern West Virginians to have such hard working men and women representing us in Charleston,” he said.
Horton is majoring in Political Science with a minor in History.
Concord University students Elisa Sperandio, Aaron Barnett and Jesse Jeffries also participated in the internship.
