Students Help Shape Nevada Politics

News Article

As the 2005 Nevada Legislature convenes next month, UNLV students will put into action the political principles they've learned in the classroom.

Every two years, six UNLV students pack their bags and head to the Capitol to serve as legislative interns. Each intern is assigned to work with one of the state's political leaders for the entire 120-day session. Their full-time schedule gives them real-life lessons in the political process. They conduct research on political issues, participate in meetings, and track bills, taking in all the behind-the-scenes work in the legislative process.

The opportunity for hands-on experience is much greater in Carson City than in Washington, D.C., according to state Sen. Dina Titus, a UNLV professor of political science and the program's supervisor. "Politics are very accessible to students in Nevada," Titus says. "In Carson City, an intern is treated like a real staffer."

Each intern receives a $6,000 stipend thanks to funding from the UNLV Foundation's Annual Fund.

Without the stipend, students like sophomore Annette Magnus would have to fully fund their Carson City living expenses to take advantage of the internship opportunity. "I am so thankful that we get a stipend because I will not have to use all the money that I have worked to save up," she says.

Magnus expects the experience to help prepare her for a career as a lobbyist for education and children's rights. "I want to see how the process really works and what it takes for people to really let their voices be heard," she says. "I also want to see what it takes for a woman to move up in the political arena."

Titus initially lobbied for funding of the program more than a decade ago so that UNLV students would have a presence in the Capitol as their UNR counterparts did. "Students who participate in the program become ambassadors for UNLV among the state legislators," Titus says.

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