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Bulldogs on the Lakes

Dear Employer,

The Yale Alumni Association of the Northwest (YAANW) appreciates your interest in the Bulldogs on the Lakes summer internship program. We believe students, employers, alumni, mentors and community members will benefit from the unique opportunities in Bulldogs on the Lakes.

Rowan Claypool ?80, founder of the original model program in Louisville, KY, is guiding the process along with members of the Yale Association?s Board of Directors.

We have prepared this package of information for your convenience to evaluate and guide your participation in the Bulldogs on the Lakes. The package contains:

  • Letter of Introduction to the Bulldogs on the Lakes program.


  • Memo of Understanding?this document serves as the agreement between each employer and the YAANW. It must be completed and returned by fax or mail as soon as possible. This document will also available on the website.


  • Sample Job Description?a sample version of the Jobs Description Form shows you the information required for employers to post positions on the Bulldogs website. The complete form will be found on the website. The Job Description form must be completed and submitted electronically as soon as possible..


  • A list of key dates for the 2008 program


  • Last year's Calendar of Events?this copy of last summer's calendar from Louisville, KY will provide some insight into the kinds and numbers of activities in which the students are involved during their summer.


  • Comments from former Bulldog Employers in Louisville.


  • Response form to be returned to the YAANW.

For those of you who are new to the Bulldogs program, here is a brief history and description of some of the most significant program features for the model program in Louisville, KY:

The Bulldogs in the Bluegrass summer internship program was started by the Yale Club of Kentucky in 1999. The mission of the program is to employ hard working Yale undergraduate students in positions that increase the students? work experiences, benefit the employers and enhance the Minneapolis/St. Paul community as a whole. It is the goal of the YAANW to arrange high quality job offerings from both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors of the community.

In order to introduce the students to the assets and leadership of the Minneapolis/St. Paul community, the internship program includes numerous civic and social events. In the other Bulldog cities, these have included such programs as a ?City View? day which provides an opportunity to meet various political and civic leaders in the community and to tour several area attractions. The students will also attend presentations by various Yale alumni and local community leaders as well as visit places of interest around the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

The students are housed together in a dorm setting for the summer. The housing will be provided by the YAANW and is free of charge to the students. Each student is guaranteed to receive a minimum of $3,000.00 in gross compensation for the 10-week internship (360 work hours). Each student is guaranteed to receive a minimum of $3,000.00 in gross compensation for the 10-week internship (360 work hours). Each summer intern will work for ten weeks and be paid $300 per week. Of this amount the non-profit organization is expected to contribute at least $250 per week. For-profits are expected to pay the full salary, plus contribute $1,000 to program costs ($4,000). In short, our goal is to enrich our community by bringing the best and brightest youth to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Qualified employers (non-profit and/or governmental) are exempt from this reimbursement requirement.

Each student is paired with a mentor for the summer. The mentor serves as another interested adult in the life of the intern, and in many cases the mentor families become like second families to the students while they are in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Some of these mentors are Yale alumni; others are members of the community with an interest in the program.

Students apply for internships electronically. The website is active on the first day the students return to Yale from the winter holiday. The students apply directly to the employers and the employers are responsible for selecting their own intern(s). The YAANW does not play a direct role in the selection of interns. Once the employer has selected an intern and issued a Commitment Letter through the website, the internship position must be ratified by the YAANW. The position is not finalized until the YAANW has granted the position. Executed Commitment Letters are to be received no later than March 7, 2008 for final selection by the beginning of the Yale?s spring break. Employers are therefore encouraged and urged to make selections in a timely manner to increase their chances of being granted a summer intern.

We look forward to working with you to make Bulldogs on the Lakes summer internship program a success.

If you have any questions, please don?t hesitate to contact Wes Barnhart at 651-209-7670 or wes@bulldogsonthelakes.com.

Wes Barnhart
Bulldogs on the Lakes
Phone: 651-209-7670
Fax: 651-209-7675

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