When Sara Posius graduates this spring, she’ll take with her not only a diploma but also the memories of good relationships with neighbors.
The audiology and speech sciences senior is finishing an internship as a neighborhood resource coordinator for the East Lansing Community Relations Coalition.
“I liked it because it gives me a chance to meet other people,” Posius said.
Others, too, have the opportunity to get involved.
There are at least six positions open for students to apply for in the fall 2002 and spring 2003 semesters.
The internship asks that interested students have at least a 3.0 grade-point average, training or interest in community building and communication and have plans to live in one of the East Lansing neighborhoods for the academic year. Interns are charged with building relationships between students and permanent residents.
And they have the responsibility of getting to know residents while devising strategies to introduce neighbors to each other. Posius helped develop a block party for her community, the Bailey neighborhood.
Students work between 10 and 15 hours a week and receive a $1,250 stipend per semester. The deadline for submitting an application is March 25.
Finding someone who lives in the geographic area is important for the internships, Community Relations Coalition President Nancy Schertzing said. Students who live in the area will have a better ability to communicate with their neighbors.
Much of the work interns do also has been recognized by city officials.
The students build some great friendships with their neighbors, Deputy City Manager Jean Golden said.
“It is a lot harder to like somebody you don’t know,” she said.
But it isn’t just the friendships that get built either. Students build communication skills, learn how to do community organizing, develop problem-solving skills and learn how city governments work, Golden said.
For more information, students should contact Community Relations Coalition associate Dan Kittle at kittleda@msu.edu or Patricia Enos at enos@msu.edu.
