Disciplinary Policy
In a perfect world, all accepted interns would stick to a schedule of 10 hours per week, focus on their assigned tasks and projects while in the office, and give proper notice if they are going to be late or absent. The reality is that some of our interns do not complete the program successfully despite our best efforts to engage them. The situation becomes more complicated when students are enrolled in an internship course for credit; forcing a student to withdraw from a course after the add/drop deadline could have significant consequences for the student's academic and professional career. Thus, it is to the student's advantage and yours to address disciplinary issues as soon as they are detected, and to notify the appropriate faculty member if the student is enrolled in a course for credit.
In case that last sentence was unclear:
Address disciplinary issues as soon as they are detected, and notify the appropriate faculty member if the student is enrolled in a course for credit.
Here are some examples of issues that would need to be addressed as soon as they are detected:
- The intern is repeatedly and excessively(1) late for work and does not provide prior notice
- The intern is repeatedly absent from work and does not provide prior notice
- The intern is behind on his/her hours by more than 10 hours
- The intern is changing his/her work schedule excessively, or the intern's schedule is unpredictable
- The intern is not working on assigned tasks during work hours and is spending a lot of time on Facebook, checking email, working on homework assignments, etc.
- The intern is taking extended breaks, or is talking repeatedly and excessively on his/her cell phone
- The intern repeatedly and excessively violates the dress code
- The intern has violated the non-partisan policy or non-harassment policy
- The intern has violated the substance abuse policy (zero tolerance)
3-Step Procedure
Step 1: Verbal warning (supervisor)
The intern's supervisor should talk to the intern one-on-one, in-person, about the issue. Choose a location that is separate from where other interns are working. Be friendly, but firm. In most cases, simply making the intern aware of the problem will encourage him/her to discontinue the behavior. If the issue is related to scheduling, remind the intern that we are very flexible and will likely have no problem with changes to work hours, but that advance notice is appreciated.
After you have met with the intern individually, give the intern an opportunity to change - one week is appropriate.
Step 2: Verbal warning (supervisor and director)
If the intern's behavior continues, meet with the intern and the department director in person. Again, choose a location that is separate from where other interns are working. Let the intern know what the consequences will be if things do not change (i.e. termination of the student's internship, a failing grade, no reference or letter of recommendation). Give the intern a definite time period during which he/she has the opportunity to change. Also be sure to let the intern respond and listen to that response. Exceptions can be made for extenuating circumstances, but we can't make an exception if we don't know what's going on!
Step 3: Written warning (director and faculty member)
If the issue cannot be resolved by Project Vote Smart staff, and the intern is enrolled in a course for credit, it's time to get the professor involved. University faculty have their own procedures for dealing with disciplinary issues, and they must follow them before they can approve a student's withdrawal from a course (or issue a failing grade). It is to everyone's advantage to give the professor as much lead time as possible. Do NOT wait until the end of the semester when grades are due! It's too late, and there is nothing to be done!
At this point you should be dealing with the student in writing so that there is a paper trail. The Legislative Research Director is responsible for communicating with the professor and the student.
If all efforts to salvage the student's internship are unsuccessful, terminate the intern. It's better for the intern to learn how to be accountable now, in an educational setting, than later when he/she has found paid employment.
