POLITICS THROUGH THE EYES OF INTERNS -- It may be several weeks until the end of the semester, but for the students in professor Robin Kolodny's course "Campaign 2002," the week before Election Day means crunch time. Kolodny's political science course has placed 22 students in 11 different campaigns throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Students are interning for candidates at every level--from races for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to the governor's race and U.S. congressional races. "We have students doing everything from making coffee and copies to working as truly important members of their candidate's campaign team," says Kolodny. The students won't meet for class on Election Day since they'll be working the polls. But on Tuesday, Nov. 12, when the class meets, every student has to explain their view on why their candidate won or lost. Their five-minute presentations will be part of a comprehensive analysis of the race they must turn in at the end of the course.
CELL PHONE SECURITY NOT AS TANGLED AS THE WEB --With more and more cell phones practically becoming hand-held computers capable of sending and receiving e-mail, the Internet, and photographs, just how protected are these mobile machines from hackers? "Cell phone networks are not public access," says Temple electrical engineering professor Dennis Silage. "They're not as available for outside hacking. If I were to send an e-mail message from a machine on a computer network, at that point you can intercept and decode it because it's on the Internet. But once it reaches the cell phone network, it's reasonably secure." Silage, an expert in telecommunications, says that radio transmissions on the cell phone network are encrypted, and even if someone were trying to listen to them, they'd have a very difficult time even finding the radio signal or displaying the message.
THE HOLIDAY JOB-SEARCH BLUES -- Most seasoned job searchers know the holiday season is a tough time for job hunting. Chet Rispoli, director of Temple's Career Development Services, has a few hints for the frustrated job seeker. "While advertising for jobs goes down around the holidays, it doesn't mean companies are hiring less," said Rispoli. "Focus your search, and network like you never have before." Rispoli recommends reaching out to your personal contacts, even if they're not the ones that hire. "About 98 percent of referrals aren't with the person who hires--they're merely people who pass your name along. During the lazy days after Thanksgiving, that's important." He also suggests being more proactive with your search. "Follow up with phone calls after you've sent in a resume, and mention you'll be making a follow-up call in your cover letter. Always keep the ball in your court." Rispoli also suggests making your phone calls on Tuesday through Thursday, just in case the personnel department is taking long weekends. "And have some patience with your potential employer," said Rispoli. "It is, after all, the holidays."
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