National Clearinghouse on Marital and Date Rape
http://ncmdr.org
 mirror site: http://members.aol.com/ncmdr

INTERNSHIP FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)

Dear visitors, please print all of our flyers which we have put on our web site and share them with your friends, and please read them all before you write us and let us know if there are any questions we have not answered. We have been updating our FAQ page with new questions of intern applicants every few days and would love your input!

What is NCMDR?

The National Clearinghouse on Marital and Date Rape is a educational campaign headquarters, library and research center that compiles and provides information on date and marital rape cases and on legislation and media publications on these subjects. NCMDR also provides consultants, speakers and organizers for campaigns for political and social change for women and girls. Established in 1978 as a project of the Women's History Research Center, NCMDR is almost all-volunteer.

What do interns do?

Depending on the type of internship, interns may do the following:

• Track legal cases -- community and campus
• Help give seminars and workshops, and attend them
• Network with others in the field
• Perform research in our files for the media, students, helping professionals and the general public, including organizations
• Analyze and catalog documents including newspaper accounts of incidents and attitudes.
• Handle phone contacts and correspondence
• Publicize actions around the world (on the Internet and otherwise) on these issues

What are the additional benefits of an internship at NCMDR?

Academic/career: interns will have opportunities to attend seminars/workshops and receive academic educational credit through their schools. We can also provide assistance with letters and forms and filling out forms to apply for stipends, as well as job placement assistance, including letters of recommendation, names of contacts, job counseling, referrals to agencies.

Environment/resources: There is a beautiful view of the San Francisco Bay from the sun deck (check back here for GIF of sunset to be uploaded soon!), friendly people, extraordinary resources and network, informal scent/smoke-free atmosphere. Best of all are the rallies, vigils, pickets, concerts, plays, poetry and other readings, and year-round film festivals (for example, in June is the Gay, Bi and Lesbian International Film Festival, and in late July there is the Jewish International Film Festival.) For everything that is not free, we often have group discount tickets.

How should I get there?

See America first and last. We are not bi-coastal chauvinists. Share driving either your own car or through the companies that have people deliver cars. Bus and train are second best (but boycott Greyhound for their not accommodating people with disabilities.) Women and men should see women's road movies first: "Leaving Normal", "Thelma & Louise", "Baghdad Café", "Salmonberries", "Boys on the Side", "Follow Me Home" and PBS's "The Way West" and "The West: the Nez Perce Story" -- and "The Grapes of Wrath" -- may Grandma Joad, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and the current striking strawberry workers forgive us for forgetting! (Add your favorite when you write us, for us to put up here!)

Make your reservations for Yosemite now through Mystix at (800) 365-2267 -- you can always cancel them. But you need them even just to drive through the park, not just for camp sites (which you can also book at this number).

How's the food?

Terrific, but it'll break your budget! Food is provided here at NCMDR at all times during the 120 hour-a-week operating hours. (For your off-shift hours, we suggest that you send yourself nonperishable foods ahead of time because of the high cost of living here.)

What about housing?

In the summer (starting around May 24 and ending mid-August) there is a very nice and inexpensive women's non-smoking co-op called Hoyt next to the North Gate of the University of California, 8 blocks away. Their phone number is (510) 848-1936. (The same number can also put you in contact with co-ed co-ops for male or female interns.) It was $727 in 1997 for the whole summer plus a $60 membership, and there are also co-op work shifts for a few hours a week. They are totally resident-run. You will need to send a deposit as soon as possible because it's on a first-come, first-served basis. Most of the deposit is refundable if you change your mind. It is also possible to stay only part of the summer on a prorated basis.

Otherwise, and at other times of the year, we suggest contacting people in Berkeley through your alumnae/i office, ride boards, political/social/religious groups and family connections. If you are going to UC Berkeley summer school, many other options are open -- call the UC Housing Office at (510) 642-3106. You may also wish to join HomeFinders (510-549-6450) or the Berkeley Connection (510-845-7821) -- they can send you printed or email listings that match your needs. You can expect to pay nearly twice as much for an apartment or shared housing, compared to a co-op.

The East Bay Express classifieds section has rental and sublet listings for Berkeley and the surrounding areas. The paper comes out each Thursday. Call the Express at (510) 540-7400 or write to P.O. Box 3198, Berkeley 94708. The newspaper itself is free, but you need to send them back the postage amount which you see on the envelope.

Sublets can be a good option, too, because people are often desperate to get their rent covered for the summer. Plan to stay with friends/family/alums while you check out the sublets/other housing. Find a UC student to look in the Housing Office or for notices plastered all over campus environs if you want to try to negotiate a sublet ahead of time.

Note that San Francisco is a long and expensive commute. Only if you have a car, or are living rent-free with a lover, would it then be cost-effective! :) In a worst-case scenario using public transportation, a round trip including transportation to BART, the BART train itself, and transportation from BART, can cost $10 and take an hour and a half. It is an hour if you walk to a nearby BART station in S.F. and walk here from the Berkeley BART for 20 or 30 minutes. It is better to live in the East Bay than to commute from SF where there is a 1 percent vacancy rate for housing anyway (and there's no parking!) You can bring your bike on BART during off-peak, non-commute hours (avoid 3:30 to 6:30 pm weekdays.)

(The following paragraph is also under "Job Hunting")

There are towns within 45 minutes of Berkeley that you may wish to check the zip codes for, ask your alumnae/i office in order to brainstorm with alums about current and future jobs and housing in the greater Berkeley area: San Pablo, Pinole, El Sobrante, Hercules, Richmond, Martinez, Albany, Kensington, El Cerrito, Walnut Creek, Concord, Orinda, Piedmont, Oakland, Lafayette, Emeryville, San Leandro, Alameda, Moraga, Pleasanton, Livermore, Pleasant Hill, and please don't forget lovely Berkeley as well..   You will want a car or at least a strong bike and back for all but Berkeley, Albany, Kensington, southeast El Cerrito, North Oakland. Try to stay/work close to us in northeast Berkeley.

What kind of internships are available?

NCMDR offers internships in the following fields:

• Law and Criminology
• Psychology
• Journalism
• Library Science (for Library Science and others below, see general internship information)
• Health
• Women's Studies
• Media and Communications

Who can be an intern?

Female and male high school students, high school graduates, college students, college graduates, graduate students, career changers, those reentering the work force. International applicants accepted. 500 applications received each year.

What should I bring?

Warm clothes. It can be 40 degrees at night and 80 degrees the next day in the late afternoon.

Clothes for a sunny day.  Include bathing suits for pools or Lake Anza, 10 minutes by car from campus or Laura's, but not for the ocean unless you drive 7 hours south to Los Angeles.

A car. Get the "Club" for your car.   Triple A-Plus road service insurance (the new one with 100 free miles towing 4 times a year, upgraded from 5 miles) is one of the best road service deals around at approximately $35.

A bike.  Bring a helmet, light, etc. -- a mountain bike or motor scooter for on and around the hills and us is best, not to mention locks!! to protect your bike.  You can ship it by bus (NOT Greyhound) or a bike store can pack it for you and ship it by ground or air transportation (remember to bring best possible lock.)

A computer with modem for email access, preferably a Mac so you can copy all of our programs. Bring a printer too, if you can.

A phone.  There are jacks, but you need to bring your own phone and answering machine -- unless you want Pac-Bell's voice mail -- for where you will be living..

Pens and notebooks.  Ask all your friends to donate these to us.

Money to live while job-hunting.  This is the most popular and expensive area in the U.S., so it can take a month.

Street smarts and self-defense training for urban living and dating.  It is unimaginable how there could be violence in such a lovely green environment, so that people forget their usual precautions.

Swimming and hiking gear.  You need to be working out on stairmasters or bikes at the local gym or spend time walking up and down hills before you come -- otherwise your tendons will be shot in two days which will mess up your fun, your classes, your job-hunting, and your enjoyment here.

Your friends for your support system, for hanging out with us at extracurricular excursions and even to volunteer from time to time as you and they desire. And your family is welcome, too.

Email - Interns should be able to receive email while they are here, either via the web or telnet or however they prefer (and to arrange this with their school if necessary),  so that we can reach them both individually and by broadcasting one message to all interns.

What are the hours required?

This is up to you, but we are likely to choose those interns who can commit to longer stays with short hours or short ones with long hours. Our only, but rock-bottom basic, requirement is that you train your paid employer and family and friends that your schedule needs must be analyzed by you and them, and then be negotiated with us and set a minimum of two weeks ahead of whatever day you're in. Your choice is between 6 am to 9 pm, 7 days a week. Try to minimize your commute to the Clearinghouse and to your paying job in order to maximize your marvelous California experience!

Job Hunting -- is it hard?

University towns are notorious for exploiting students by underpaying them, and the usual $6 an hour flinging frozen yogurt or expressing espresso are highly competitive - so get here before summer school starts in early June. $6 an hour doesn't go very far in the most expensive area to live in the US, therefore we strongly urge you to use the old girl and boy network through your alumnae/i association (to which you are entitled as part of your outrageous tuition fees!). Ideally you want a part-time job assisting a professor, painting houses or desktop publishing for $10 an hour or a little more than that by being waitstaff with good tips, for 10 - 20 hours a week, but it takes months of planning and luck. Otherwise, you will not to be able to save money, though you will have enough to live on after you find the student-exploitative job. Remember that job-hunting started when you get here may take you an average of three weeks, plus payment will be after two more weeks. Good places to search for part-time work (including babysitting jobs, which usually pay about $7 an hour) are The Daily Californian student newspaper (510) 548-8300 and the weekly East Bay Express (510) 540-7400.   There is also a crisis in the need for attendants for people with disabilities, so they may be willing to take on summer-only aides.

There are towns within 45 minutes of Berkeley that you may wish to check the zip codes for, ask your alumnae/i office in order to brainstorm with alums about current and future jobs and housing in the greater Berkeley area: San Pablo, Pinole, El Sobrante, Hercules, Richmond, Martinez, Albany, Kensington, El Cerrito, Walnut Creek, Concord, Orinda, Piedmont, Oakland, Lafayette, Emeryville, San Leandro, Alameda, Moraga, Pleasanton, Livermore, Pleasant Hill, and please don't forget lovely Berkeley as well..   You will want a car or at least a strong bike and back for all but Berkeley, Albany, Kensington, southeast El Cerrito, North Oakland. Try to stay/work close to us in northeast Berkeley.

What about emotional support?

You will be new to a vast and complex urban area and perhaps not know anyone when you first arrive. There is also the subject matter which we deal with every day at NCMDR. There is no way that people who care enough to work on these issues can avoid being upset. There are superb rape crisis centers in the area which can also provide support for you when newspaper articles or callers remind you of difficult areas with your own life and your family. A couple of times over the years some interns have been surprised even after years of therapy to find out that "old" issues are too uncomfortable even in a non-frontline setting (we're not a crisis center, so we only get a few crisis calls a week and do not take people to the hospital, etc.), so converse with yourself kindly and make your support system portable. :)

How do I apply to NCMDR?

(Note: we do not have volunteer interns any more, but this is the process from time to time when we have paid non-intern jobs and paid interns working just for Laura as an individual.)

To apply: Please write about your interests, skills, curiosities, and available times to work, as follows:

(Your answers will help us network you with the people and material resources you need.  We are NOT asking for your private opinions just the topics that interest you, though you are welcome to state your opinions about everything, of course!  We're not about to deny your free speech in Berkeley, of all places!  You may also leave topics of interest blank, if you prefer not to answer.)

1) Interest Topics: Include a few comments under each of these interest categories: academic, career, cultural (all meanings), hobbies, passions, pet peeves, political (all meanings.)  Use the categories as headers.

2) Skills: Write a note (a resume is fine, but NOT required) about your skills.

3) Curiosities Topics: What you are curious about? 1) anything you would like to know about anything, 2) anything about women, and 3) anything about sexual assault and domestic violence.

4) Available Times: approximate dates you wish to come/must leave, specific hours you could work (days, dates, and amount hours desired.)

5) Commitment: your ability to commit to our smoke/scent-free environment.

Please mail your response to:

National Clearinghouse on Marital and Date Rape/Women's History Library
(address deleted 11/25/2005)

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