By: Will Neves
Washington Seminar Intern, Winter 08
Donkeys, elephants, and a few wolves-in-sheep’s-clothing
were sighted during the weekly zoo that is the Washington
Seminar Friday Briefings. A parade of lobbyists, Congressional
leaders, grassroots crusaders, and many other professionals
from the Beltway circus discussed their professions in
an attempt to encourage, inform, and inspire the students
from BYU. For BYU students, TGIF not only meant it was
another great day before the weekend but also a day to
become more aware of what is at stake and what it takes
to make it in the nation’s capital. Each presenter
was inspiring and many were entertaining, but only one
was voted the best: Judge Thomas Griffiths.
Judge Griffiths of the U.S. Court of Appeals,
D.C. Circuit was voted best overall speaker for the entire
series, but that does not diminish or detract from the
other speakers who presented over the course of the semester.
Judge Griffiths honored the BYU students not only with
a briefing inside his courtroom but also a tour of his
chamber where other former judges have hung their judicial
robes. Past members of this court include two standing
Supreme Court Justices, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
and other notable judges. Judge Griffiths discussed matters
relating to living a better life, prerequisites for working
for him (a degree from law schools at Harvard, Yale, and
Stanford—sorry BYU), and artfully dodged questions
relating to the court’s recent decisions on the
D.C. gun ban and the civil rights of unlawful combatants.
Judge Griffiths was liberal with his valuable time as
was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who was not conservative
with his time for BYU’s Washington Seminar Students.
At the U.S. Capitol, Senate Majority Leader
Reid entertained BYU students in the former office of
President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Senator even pointed
out the secret bathroom LBJ had installed. Using an open
forum of questions and answers, Senator Reid responded
to a variety of questions and provided a glimpse into
the life of the most powerful man (and most powerful Mormon
in elected office) in Congress. Senator Reid discussed
immediate concerns facing the nation, members of the Church,
and his past marathon times—he is a 3:30 runner.
Partisanship was put aside during the briefing as a group
picture was taken underneath the portrait of LBJ with
interns from AEI, Senators Bob Bennet and Elizabeth Dole,
and Congressman Chris Cannon posing with the leader of
the Democratic Party majority in the Senate. Not all of
our briefings were Capitol Hill tours and judicial cloak
room show-and-tells; many were hard fought battles in
the trenches of the Barlow Center’s Great Room between
participants and partisans of many diverse and polarizing
groups such as RCRC, NRA, ACLU, JAG, and other acronyms
that are familiar to veterans of the Washington Seminar.
Washington Seminar provides each student
with a different perspective or a chance to reinforce
current beliefs. A majority of the students came away
with different points of view on such divisive issues
as the Pro Life versus Pro Choice debate, illegal immigration,
gun rights, the relevance of Mother Teresa, and the nuclear
capabilities of North Korea. Field trips were also part
of the Friday briefings such as a trip across the river
to Virginia and the Mirant Power Plant helped us understand
the politics and pollution of power. Donuts and a tour
were on the menu at the plant, and then the group was
off to listen to Ernie Lehman for a dose of reality about
the dangers of pollution and the power of a well-organized
grassroots movement. All participants in the speakers
series were well received by the BYU students, and their
comments and responses to the students’ questions
sparked debates that continued into the weekend.
The opportunities each participant in BYU’s
Washington Seminar has are the envy of many other interns
in Washington, D.C. They are impressed with the rounded
education, four-day work week, and experiences BYU provides
for the students in Washington, D.C. The spacious Barlow
Center provides a clean and respectful setting where matters
of national importance can be discussed and debated without
malice and where students and speakers, if prompted, can
discuss delicate matters concerning faith and spirituality.
Students involved in the Washington Seminar Program can
expect to receive a balanced education, an opportunity
to network, and the chance to find out what side of the
fence they really stand on.
