Let me say a few words about the internship position which I posted on
behalf of the Stars and Stripes Museum and which has been called "a new low"
here.

First, I would hope that readers of the intern description would interpret
the call for an "experienced intern" as reflective of a desire to attract
individuals with "some" background, training, or inclination for this type
of work.  Although it is not my position description, it seems to me a
reasonable qualification -- whose specifics are a matter to be negotiated
between applicant and employer.

Second, labeling the internship as a "new low" strikes me as a pretty quick
and unfair assessment of an opportunity whose dimensions are unknown to most
of us.  What I do know about the institution is that it has, to date,
operated entirely on a volunteer basis.  The individuals behind the emerging
museum have dedicated personal funds and devoted an enormous amount of time
to build the temporary facility, care for collections, and move forward with
long-range plans.  Perhaps they are overreaching; certainly they need more
than they can pay for adequately.   But from my perspective I see serious,
dedicated people from whom an intern would learn a valuable lesson or two.



Jenny Strayer, Ph.D.
Museum Director
Southeast Missouri State University
One University Plaza, MS4275
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
(573) 651-2260
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