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Our Program - Examples of Internship Work

There are two primary goals of the internship portion of our graduate program of study:

• To further the student's education with real world experience in the area of practice in which the student is interested.
  
  
• To provide a possible stepping stone to post-graduation work.

Finding internship placements is a collaborative project between the student and the program. The program is forming relationships with potential placement agencies on an ongoing basis and student initiative is also key in developing new opportunities.

Placements will range from local to international. Internships may be undertaken in a concentrated period during the summer or over a longer period during the academic school year.

Here are some examples of internships that our students have undertaken. They have worked with:

• a collaborative planning project team to develop a comprehensive water quality monitoring and assessment program in the Klamath River Basin. The project was an effort to improve communication and cooperation between diverse members of the scientific community and to establish a basin-wide plan that will guide future management decisions. Duties included designing and implementing the intake process (i.e. writing questions, conducting stakeholder interviews, framing issues), conducting background research, and helping to organize stakeholder meetings.

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• Oregon Solutions to organize a science-policy workshop on sediment trends in southwest Washington's near-shore zone (specifically within and to the north of the mouth of the Columbia River). The workshop brought together scientists, technical specialists, and policy-makers to discuss near-shore physical processes in southwest Washington, and their implications for sediment management. Duties included conducting background research, designing and implementing a pre-conference survey to help frame the issues for the workshop, conducting interviews with several key stakeholders, attending and observing the workshop, and assisting in writing up workshop results.

• the Oregon Employment Relations Board observing mediations and assisting with the tasks involved in the preparation and completion of employment-related mediations.

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• the Local union of the International Association of Fire Fighters on a three-month assignment during which the student was able to observe contract negotiations between the union and the city of Eugene and to participate in the local's bargaining team meetings in preparation for those negotiations. The student also worked with the union's Emergency Medical Services committee, helping it assess the potential impact of a move to a private emergency transport service.

• the local Community Mediation Center developing and delivering a teen peer-mediation program in local schools.

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• the University's Center on Diversity and Community, responding to conflicts over diversity and other issues in student housing and participating in the provision of training for students in conflict management and communication skills.

• the United States Department of Labor Women's Bureau in San Francisco. The student researched and complied a 500-page document on flexible work options for women in the workplace.

• the Washington State ombuds office learning the intricacies of the ombuds function.

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• a business/employment lawyer helping with mediation cases and settlement conferences.

• the legal department of the Knowledge Learning Corporation on contract negotiations and negotiations with regulatory agencies.

• the community environmental activist organization Friends of the San Juans, learning about how to constructively engage in contentious, multi-party, community issues including disputes over county ordinances and critical habitat protection. The student's responsibilities included conducting legal and other research to prepare for effective organizational participation.

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• the Restorative Justice Program of the local Community Mediation Services that engages with first time juvenile offenders and significantly lowers recidivism for juveniles. Most of the cases involved vandalism, theft, harassment or burglary. The student participated in the management of cases from start to finish. She contacted victims and offender parties, explained the program, maintained records, conducted intakes, scheduled meeting locations, participated in the mediation by eliciting stories about the incident, the impacts, and possible ways to make amends for what had been done, drafted agreements signed by the parties, and helped youth determine what community service options were best if community service was a component of the agreement. She also followed up with victim parties after the circle to update them on the progress and completion of agreement implementation.

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• the Campus Restorative Justice Coordinator handling cases referred by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards involving violations of the UO Student Conduct Code. The cases involved academic dishonesty, alcohol abuse, property damage and harassment.

• the newly appointed independent auditor of the Eugene police department. The student explored new systems with which members of the community and police officers can settle conflicts that arise between them, seeking to balance the needs of community members and police employees and providing an access point to the public on policing issues.

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• the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice where the student learned how a nongovernmental educational institute works and participated in IPJ human rights and conflict resolution projects alongside scholars and practitioners.

• the World Federalist Movement in New York City, working with the United Nations on a new post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation pilot project.

• Two NGO's, the Peace and Reconciliation Group and St. Columb's Park House, in Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland, dedicated to conflict resolution and facilitating dialogue throughout Northern Ireland among the police, community groups, paramilitary organizations, and with public schools, workplaces, and government agencies.

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• Beyond War, participating in the development of this national non-profit organization, developing and delivering programs to the public, researching and producing written materials.

• A local high school football program developing and delivering a conflict management curriculum for the student athletes.

• The Lane County Family Mediation program, participating in court-ordered mediations of child custody disputes and assisting with program projects and staff trainings.

• The Sustainable Ecosystems branch of Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, researching natural resource policy issues and collaborative approaches to environmental disputes.

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• The Oregon Consensus Program, as a member of the facilitation team helping the West Eugene Collaborative seek consensus among multiple stakeholders on solutions to the knotty issues of transportation, environmental protection, and commercial vitality.

• The ADR Center, helping to co-teach an undergraduate course, Mediating Sports Conflict, that was structured to use competition in sports as a framework to explore conflict and dispute resolution.