There was an error in your story on Iowa State’s relationship to the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (Jan. 23, online edition).

You state that: “The student attended Calvin College, a Christian university in Grand Rapids, Mich. A faculty adviser at the university said he didn’t wish to put a student in a ‘homosexual environment,’ even though the student stated his interest was gay rights. The Washington Center then assigned the student to another internship.”

This is not true.

When William Stevenson, the director of our Semester in Washington, D.C. program for the spring semester of 2003, learned that a student was being recommended for an internship to the office of Congressman Barney Frank, he asked the student if he was aware of Rep. Frank’s history. The student had expressed an interest in working on gay rights issues.

The student was not aware of it. Stevenson was concerned that the student know as much as he could about any internship situation that he might be presented with, so he explained that Rep. Frank is openly gay. Stevenson also was concerned that in 1990 Rep. Frank had been reprimanded by the House.

Stevenson did not tell the student, nor did he tell people at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, that the student would not be allowed to be placed in Rep. Frank’s office.

In fact, the student did talk with Rep. Frank’s office about interning there, but was disappointed to find out that the extent of his duties there would be answering phones, making photocopies, etc.

Learning that, he decided to take a different internship offer where he did indeed work on a gay rights project.

Joel Carpenter

Provost

Calvin College

Grand Rapids, Michigan