YD's Set Up Internships With 'Liberal' Legislators

Fifteen Harvard-Radcliffe Young Democrats will have the opportunity to intern with young "liberal" Democrats in the Massachusetts Legislature.

Approached by the YD's, the Kennedy Institute has decided to sponsor bi-monthly seminar dinners for the interns. Barney Frank, special assistant for undergraduate affairs at the Institute, explained last night that the Massachusetts legislators and "others interested in Massachusetts and Massachusetts politics" will attend these seminars as advisors. The theoretically-oriented seminars are designed to complement the practical experience of internship.

YR Plan

The H-R Young Republicans first heard about the intern program last night. They discussed the plan with Frank and similar arrangements will probably be made for them with Republican legislators.

Under the YD plan, the 15 interns would participate in the actual formulation of legislation in "face-to-face" conferences with the "liberal" Democrats.

Rep. Michael Harrington '58 (D-Salem), a leader in the drive for a sort of "student brain trust," expressed his desire to "include the YD's in policy-making work." Harrington hopes that the interns will relieve some of the work load currently on the legislators and make possible the proposal of additional bills.

Robert A. Bush '69, one of the student organizers, said the intern program intends to match up students and legislators with a common interest in some particular field. A YD interested in judicial reform, for example, could meet with Senator Beryl Cohen (D-Brookline), chairman of the Senate subcommittee on judicial review.

The intern, after discussing the issue with his legislator, would do research on the subject and then return to draw up a bill for presentation to the legislature.

New Policy

The YD's say that the Institute has asked their interns to participate in forth-coming visits of honorary associates, although the exact method of participation and the time have not yet been determined. This is an outgrowth of the Institute's new policy of obtaining a wider range of students to give the associates' conferences greater depth.

Application forms for the YD program will be available Friday afternoons in the Houses, the Freshman Union and the Radcliffe dorms.