Spending An Exotic Summer with the State Department

Three months of stocking shelves with brassierres in a peach-scented retail store was enough for Danice L. Woodley '00, who stayed home last summer in Schenectady, New York working for a Victoria's Secret outlet in a local shopping center.

"I can't do this again," she recalls thinking of her experience in the retail industry. "I'm not a fan of mall jobs."

Woodley and several other students on campus are finding the cure for their monotonous summers through the U.S. State Department, which offers internships abroad in American embassies.

Instead of upstate New York, Woodley plans to work in Nassau this summer. At the tropical island capital of the Bahamas she will assist in the day-to-day affairs of the U.S. embassy, a step up from women's daily wear.

"I'm really interested in international issues and U.S. policies abroad," Woodley says. "The State Department appeared the most wrapped-up in affairs abroad, especially in the Caribbean."

But the state department has not yet notified Woodley of what her specific responsibilities in the Bahamas will be. That information will be provided as soon as she obtains FBI security clearance.

The FBI performs routine investigations into the character of students applying for internships in certain government departments and at this time of year campus is full of applicants. Woodley is in the process of filling out her security forms--the first step in the investigation process--ten to twelve pages in which she says "you're telling them everything about your life."

'Everything' means everywhere an applicant has lived, references still living in each place of residence who will confirm that the applicant once lived there, all visas and passports for other countries the applicant has held, and so on. This "background check" is then used to determine whether or not a given individual will pose a serious security risk.

"They even ask if I've ever been part of an organization that supports the overthrow of the U.S. government, and if yes, to explain," Woodley says. "Like any explanation would be good enough."

The department also requested that Woodley be fingerprinted, a task performed by the Harvard University Police Department, and that she purchase special medical insurance.

"It's in case they have to send your remains constant feelings of inadequacy when measuringoneself to more impressive and successfulroommates and friends.

"If you have any chemical predisposition to bedepressed, Harvard will trigger depression becausethis is a crazy place," she says.

Other students are more lighthearted aboutdepression.

"Everyone I know just wants a boyfriend," jokeda sophomore in Lowell who preferred to remainanonymous. However, Ducey confirms this popularintuition.

"A boyfriend [or] girlfriend is a great cure...because intimacy is the best protection againstbeing depressed."

Despite the negligible dating scene at Harvardand the frenetic pace of student life here, manyintrinsic Harvardian traits help offsetdepression. Dr. Randolphe Catlin, chief of mentalhealth services at UHS, says that Harvardstudents' "productivity" coupled with thesuccess-drive that brought them to the Ivy leaguebetter equip them to deal with life'sdisappointments.

Whether or not Harvard students'competitiveness, high stress level and innatedefense-mechanisms increase or decreasesusceptibility depression, most students agreethat available mental health resources areinadequate.

Many depressed students are ashamed or nervousabout burdening friends with their problems andhesitant to seek help at UHS or the Bureau ofStudy Council.

Yet, as Ducey says, the best cure fordepression is talking to someone, seeking intimacyin order to help ease the feelings of loneliness.

Ducey encourages students concerned that theymay be depressed to drop by the Bureau which hesays is accessible and nurturing and offers a fullrange of mental health groups and workshops eachsemester in addition to providing individualcounseling.

"Through therapy and counseling... Depressionis a very treatable, straightforward condition,"he says.

Students can reach the free depressionscreening hot line at 1-800-729-8269. Those whoseresponses to the ten-question diagnostic indicatethey are depressed will be connected by theoperator to UHS personnel for a consultation.