2008 Woodie Awards
Page scandal grips congress
Nicole Chismar '07
Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: World
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Sexual harassment has long tainted the splendor of political internships in Washington, D.C., for many college students: Chandra Levy and Monica Lewinsky are just two examples.
But recently, this behavior has spread even further into American politics, to the prominent Congressional Page Program. Most notably, Congressman Mark Foley, a representative of Florida, was forced to resign last week after receiving several complaints of inappropriate behavior toward male pages, the Associated Press reported.
Foley has allegedly been harassing pages through sexually explicit instant messages and e-mails since 2000.
Unlike internships, page programs are designed for high school students who wish to experience the political arena early on. Pages are appointed each year by their members of Congress, and serve at least one month in the House of Representatives.
PC student and recent graduate of the Washington Semester Program at American University, Jennifer Ferro '07, commented on the issue, saying, "I remember seeing the pages around the Capitol when I was interning and just thinking to myself how young they were, so to know that Foley exploited these young people just makes me feel so disgusted with abuses of power in Washington. . . it is absolutely repulsive."
Fortunately, when it comes to our own campus community, many Providence students have had positive experiences in the nation's capital. Andrea Moffitt '07 said,"I've been fortunate to work in excellent offices where that type of behavior is not tolerated."
Ferro '07 also said, "When I was interning in D.C., I never felt uncomfortable at all."
As a result of Foley's conduct, the House ethics committee has begun an extensive investigation and plans to go "wherever the evidence leads us," ABC News remarked. The Department of Justice has also dispatched a criminal investigation against Foley.
Conjointly, Speaker of the House, Dennis J. Hastert, has been urged to resign for neglecting the situation. Hastert told The Chicago Tribune this week that he accepted responsibility for his failure to investigate earlier complaints, but he does not intend to step down. "Ultimately. . . the buck stops here," the Republican speaker announced, at a press conference on Monday.
The ethics committee plans to finish its investigation within the next few weeks. Pundits, however, have noted that the scandal may increase the number of races considered to be competitive as some citizens look with disfavor on the republicans implicated in the scandal.
Republican campaign officials, including Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.), a top Republican strategist, announced yesterday that by their estimates, they now expect to lose between seven and 30 seats next month as the scandal continues to unfold, with the interviewing of pages underway.
But recently, this behavior has spread even further into American politics, to the prominent Congressional Page Program. Most notably, Congressman Mark Foley, a representative of Florida, was forced to resign last week after receiving several complaints of inappropriate behavior toward male pages, the Associated Press reported.
Foley has allegedly been harassing pages through sexually explicit instant messages and e-mails since 2000.
Unlike internships, page programs are designed for high school students who wish to experience the political arena early on. Pages are appointed each year by their members of Congress, and serve at least one month in the House of Representatives.
PC student and recent graduate of the Washington Semester Program at American University, Jennifer Ferro '07, commented on the issue, saying, "I remember seeing the pages around the Capitol when I was interning and just thinking to myself how young they were, so to know that Foley exploited these young people just makes me feel so disgusted with abuses of power in Washington. . . it is absolutely repulsive."
Fortunately, when it comes to our own campus community, many Providence students have had positive experiences in the nation's capital. Andrea Moffitt '07 said,"I've been fortunate to work in excellent offices where that type of behavior is not tolerated."
Ferro '07 also said, "When I was interning in D.C., I never felt uncomfortable at all."
As a result of Foley's conduct, the House ethics committee has begun an extensive investigation and plans to go "wherever the evidence leads us," ABC News remarked. The Department of Justice has also dispatched a criminal investigation against Foley.
Conjointly, Speaker of the House, Dennis J. Hastert, has been urged to resign for neglecting the situation. Hastert told The Chicago Tribune this week that he accepted responsibility for his failure to investigate earlier complaints, but he does not intend to step down. "Ultimately. . . the buck stops here," the Republican speaker announced, at a press conference on Monday.
The ethics committee plans to finish its investigation within the next few weeks. Pundits, however, have noted that the scandal may increase the number of races considered to be competitive as some citizens look with disfavor on the republicans implicated in the scandal.
Republican campaign officials, including Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.), a top Republican strategist, announced yesterday that by their estimates, they now expect to lose between seven and 30 seats next month as the scandal continues to unfold, with the interviewing of pages underway.