Senators slap one another on the back and laugh. They cut a mean rug. They joke around and yell up to friends stationed in the balcony during session. They rush through those same Monday night sessions to get home and catch their favorite television show, 24.
“On Monday nights, if we’re doing a resolution or something that takes a long time — not anymore because 24’s not showing anymore — but when it was they would all be on the edge of their seats ready to push the voting button so they could just be like ‘Yes, yes, yes, let’s just pass it so I can go watch 24 — I don’t want to be late’,” Christine DiPietro, a junior in political science, said.
These are not things most people expect of state senators — but these are the things one sees when working on the inside.
“It’s actually really fun to see them interact because you imagine — when you think of a senator — someone really formal,” said DiPietro, an intern at the General Assembly in downtown Raleigh. “They just act like it’s an all boys club. I mean there are girls there, but they just act like it.”
DiPietro began interning for state Senator Robert Pittenger in January, but was only initially able to work one or two days a week, due to her other obligations. She acquired the internship through an e-mail sent to the College Republicans.
“As soon we got [the email] I applied — like literally within 10 minutes they had my resume,” she said. “I was like the Flash I was so fast, and I was probably wearing green too.”
She said it took a little maneuvering to squeeze in an interview between his busy schedule and hers, but that when it finally worked out, they decided she was a good fit for his office.
“We agree on a lot of the policy issues, even though I am a bit more moderate… he is incredibly conservative,” she said. “He’s a very smart man. I like working for him because he’s very intelligent.”
Greg Doucette, senior in computer science and Student Senate president, is another intern at the state legislative building. He’s been interning for Senator Tony Foriest for two weeks, and although Doucette is a republican working for a democratic senator, he said he hasn’t had any issues with it so far.
“I actually applied back in January and was never actually expecting to get it,” he said. “I got the phone call asking if I minded working for democrats, and I said, ‘Well I’m not one but I don’t mind.'”
Doucette said he and his senator get along well, even though Senator Foriest is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill.
“So I’ve had my N.C. State lapel pin on every day and we joke about it back and forth,” Doucette said.
Will Quick, alumnus and former Student Body President, is also interning for the state legislature. He works in the office of Senator David Weinstein, who is the chair of the appropriations subcommittee on natural and economic resources, as well as the vice chair of the agriculture and natural resources main committee. This gives Quick a lot of exposure to fields he is interested in, and because Weinstein is a member of the senior leadership in the Senate, “He’s a good person to get to know, just for future connections,” Quick said.
Quick worked with Weinstein last summer, so this is his second summer interning for the General Assembly. The only difference this year is that he is getting paid $2.50 more than the $8.75 most undergraduate interns are paid.
He said he initially began working at the legislature last summer because he could advocate for students and gain personal experience at the same time.
“It was a good place to work to hit two birds with one stone,” he said.
Now, he is hoping it will get him a part time job for next year as a research assistant while he works on his MBA in business administration at NCSU. Also, because Quick considers North Carolina his adopted home, he figures working for the legislature is the only way to learn about the state hands-on.
“It’s much more fun than reading about it in class,” Quick said. “Here you really interact with all the people. I get to hear about many different issues, not just one.”
Quick said he and his senator also have a good relationship, explaining that a lot of the senators only have their interns to do research and work on issues.
“It’s not uncommon for representatives to rely pretty heavily on their interns,” he said.
They work hard for the money
The interns all work as many as 40 hours a week, and all agree that working for the legislature has been a good way to learn the ins and outs of the state legislative process.
“Watching the legislative process is really interesting,” Doucette said. “A lot of the bills that get filed get totally gutted and replaced with new legislation. So the committee report will be, ‘We oppose the bill, but we like our new version.’ And that’ll be the new bill they discuss for the rest of the session.”
DiPietro agreed, saying the internship had her learning and working alongside people she may not have met otherwise.
“You see how it works,” she said. “Sometimes it blows me away when I’m working with someone or I’m talking to someone and then I realize, ‘Holy hogwash! This person makes $15 million a year and this person is the same person the press can’t get enough of or is on the front page of the paper.”
However, while DiPietro may work in the general assembly again next summer, she said she doesn’t plan on making a career of politics.
“It doesn’t take long being in party politics to realize that someone like me doesn’t need to hang around forever,” she said. “Just because I don’t really plan on working for the [Republican] party, or I don’t plan on lobbying… I really see myself trying to go somewhere in the direction where my major or my life is focused.”
However, Doucette said he definitely wants to work in politics in the future, though even beginning to plan is at least four years down the road.
“The main thing here is just kind of getting to know people, but a lot of times in order to get anywhere in politics you have to have a little bit of money yourself to invest,” he said. “First I have to graduate then I have to go get my law degree or something.”
High heels, high chins and snazzy threads
As for the attire, blazers, high heels and dress shoes and button down shirts are not exactly ideal everyday wear for most college students. And while it can be fun to dress up sometimes, DiPietro said doing it every single day has been an annoying adjustment she’s had to make.
“I had to brush up my wardrobe,” DiPietro said. “The guys wear suit and ties everyday and I kind of envy them because it’s really easy. No one would know the difference if they wore the same suit everyday.”
Doucette explained that it isn’t so easy for guys, however.
“The dry cleaning bill sucks,” he said. “Usually during the year I can wear one of these shirts two or three times before I get them dry cleaned, because I’m not walking around getting them all sweaty and everything. Here I wear them one day and they have to go to the dry cleaners. I had to do 10 shirts last week and that was not cheap at all.”
DiPietro said dressing up also makes things more complicated when she wants to meet up with friends after a long day in the office.
“A lot of times I go out with my friends and I’m like hold on, I need to go change, or I’m like, I just came from work and I’m in pantyhose,” she said.
Looking toward the school year
With only a few months left before school is back in full swing, Doucette said he hopes to be able to take some of what he has learned back to Student Senate, such as reading bills three times rather than just two.
“Could I take it back, yes, would they like me to take it back — probably not,” he said.
DiPietro said she looks forward to returning to the halls of the buildings on campus come fall.
“It’s difficult because when you are in a work place so much is expected out of you… You’re surrounded by adults and people act a little bit more maturely,” she said. “I know I for one have had to scale myself down. I don’t talk as loud, and I can’t dance through the hallways… but I am looking forward to being able to do that again.”
