Brown and White Vol. 128 no. 17

              The Brown and White
Vol. 128 No. 17
Friday, April 10, 2015
‘All the Lehigh News First’
With more than 80 students placed across 19 countries this coming summer, Lehigh University’s International Internship Program, also known as the Iacocca Internships, con­tinues to provide students with opportunities for cultural immer­sion while working abroad.
According to the Office of International Affairs, the Iacocca Internships grant full fellowships to students to participate in an internship, research or practicum experience with organizations around the world.
Donations are what make these fully funded internships possible. The program recently surpassed its $10 million milestone of sup­port, marking a growth in the program.
Students can gain work experi­ence, a broadened global perspec­tive and an extended profession­al network all while developing themselves academically, profes­sionally and personally.
“It’s one of the many opportu­nities for an international experi­ence at Lehigh,” said Carol Ham, the director of International Internships.
Although the internships are unpaid and non-credit bearing, the university pays for the stu­dent’s travel, accommodations and meals, in addition to a sti­pend based on financial need.
Lee Iacocca, ’45, was the first to donate to the internships after the state funding was taken away in 2011, followed by more than 40 donors throughout the years.
“We are constantly building and nurturing relationships with employers and alumni,” Ham said, in regards to gaining new donations for the program and new positions for students.
The sponsoring companies sub­mit a general job description to the Office of International Affairs for interested students, who may then apply for the internship position.
These positions are full-time and last six to 12 weeks over the summer.
With an increasing network of employers and alumni all over the world, the Office of International Affairs is able to place more and more students in a wide-range of internships.
Last summer, 68 students were placed with organizations in 23 different countries, ranging from a community development intern­ship in Indonesia, to a water anal­ysis internship in Costa Rica.
Will Sullivan, ’15, interned with a company in Ghana last summer where he was a part of the prod­uct development of a granular fertilizer applicator for a small start-up company.
Sullivan said he learned valu­able lessons about business as a result of the internship.
“I started looking up intern­ships offered with Lehigh and it popped up,” Sullivan said.
“It was such a cool experience. I learned that businesses don’t
The interactions between the Lehigh University Police Department and the Lehigh University community are now being documented through miniature body cameras that all LUPD officers are required wear.
According to the LUPD Police Chief Edward Shupp, these body cameras have been in place since last fall, and officers must wear and utilize the cameras any time they are dis­patched to a call.
Shupp said the LUPD can evaluate the camera footage for evi­dentiary purposes and also as an educational tool for the police department and the Lehigh community.
He said this footage helps the department improve the way in which they communicate with members of the Lehigh community.
According to a study implemented by the Rialto, California, police department and documented by a recent New York Times article, these body cameras are minia­turized video cameras with microphones that can attach to a collar, a cap or to a pair of sunglasses to document, in full detail, an officer’s interac­tions with civilians.
The New York Times reported that the Rialto study, which began in 2012, revealed striking results.
The department had an 88 percent decline in the number of complaints filed against officers compared with the 12 months before the study.
Ian Birky, the director of Lehigh counseling and psychological services, said despite these positive results, the new recording technologies may pose invasion of privacy questions and con­cerns.
“Most students feel ambivalent about being on camera and being recorded,” Birky said.
“Although the cameras may not be preferred, the cameras will not cause heightened anxiety because the camera is not a significantly greater stressor than whatever it is that the student is being apprehended for in the first place.”
Birky said he thinks the students will manage quite fine.
Shupp said the cameras, which have been in place since October, are not an invasion of privacy.
Officers are being called to a scene or situation to assist a Lehigh student and to determine the appropriate solution to the situation.
He said that if a student or Lehigh community member didn’t need assistance, the body camera would have never been required in the first place.
He also said if a student has nothing to hide, they have no reason to be offended.
Assistant Dean of Students Chris Mulvihill said the LUPD officers are well trained, they are certified and they do a good job.
If the police department thinks that these body cameras are the best things to use, then they are probably the best things to use.
Shupp said the implementation of these cameras has nothing to do with the recent news of police brutality.
He said the LUPD is always looking for a way to enhance safety and per­form better in the community, and the cameras are simply another means of
Iacocca Internships donations surpass $10 mil.
By EMILY MAY
B&W Staff
LUPD requires officers to wear body cameras
Allows for ‘documented evidence’
Andre Verduzco/B&W Staff
Lehigh University Police Officer Mark Schaller stands outside of the Lehigh University Police Department on Monday. It is now Lehigh University policy that police officers wear body cameras.
See LUPD Page 3
By KELLY MUELLER
B&W Staff
See IACOCCA Page 3
Danielle DiStefano/Made with Canva