The relationship between St. Olaf College and Northfield goes back for well over a century.  From our institution’s beginnings as St. Olaf School on Division Street to our recent donation of land to the city for the construction of a hospital, our interactions have been many and varied.   Yet there was much one could count on in the symbiosis between the two places: a small college, a small town, and as the sign goes: cows and contentment.  In the past ten years though much has changed.   The world, in one respect, has become a little smaller, with Minneapolis' financial center slowly moving south to a mere thirty-minute drive away and Northfield on the verge of being pulled into the metropolis as another commuter city.  In another respect the world has become a lot larger, with St. Olaf swelling in both numbers and structures, and Northfield’s suburban development accelerating more rapidly every day.   Whether for better or worse, the changes of urban development and sprawl are occurring, and the effect they are having on the environment is not entirely desirable.
    We live on a watershed that already contributes to one of the highest point source pollution sites on the Mississippi River.  With the expansion of the town and campus, the amount of urban and rural runoff we produce can only increase.  With this growing population comes the inevitable entrance of new community players: developers, major corporations and others whose long term interests and concerns in the ecological integrity of Northfield and its environs may not be as strong as those of the older members of this community.  Along with this expansion goes an expanded need for electrical power.  This leads to further reliance on an electrical source that by many peoples appraisal is already far from sustainable, or even safe.   This rising tide of development, coupled with the current fall in government support due to budget cuts, adds up to place the environmental community of Northfield in a very tough spot.   The town has its work cut out to ensure that this growth can be something it looks back on with pride, instead of regret. 
    As Environmental Studies majors at St. Olaf College we may not allow ourselves to remain apart from these issues.  Though we might only be passing residents in this place, as was stated earlier St. Olaf is a lifelong member of the community.  Therefore while we are here we must act as the representatives for the college, working towards its long-term interests through our various fields of expertise, be they political, humanitarian, or scientific.
    This website seeks to develop a mutually beneficial and long-term relationship between the community organizations in town and the students of our environmental studies department.   To do so I followed in the example set forth in the book Making Collaboration Work and have identified a common need in both the concerned institutions.  This identified common need was for interns.  As students of the Environment, we need internships both for the reason that they are required in our major and because they aide us in our search for just what it is we plan to do with our major/concentration.  Grassroots organizations and local governmental organizations need interns as well, to provide a dedicated, yet free resource of workers to combat growing development trends and receding budget allotments.   Together, as the combined community of St. Olaf and Northfield we need to come together to accomplish goals we see as important, but that we could not attain alone.  By creating a website that can bring these needs together in the form of internships, I hope to begin the creation of this important relationship.

The Importance of
Internships
A literary review of what scholars are saying and have said about internships.  Namely why they are important for forming good students, good communities, and a good democracy.

Paperwork Links
Paperwork from the CEL required for the formation of an internship for credit can be found at:
http://www.stolaf.edu/services/internships/
Guidelines for the experiential component in environmental studies:
http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/environmental- studies/experientialguidelines.html

A retrospective on my work in the researching for and formation of this project.   A discussion of roadblocks encountered and possible improvements.

-Sheri Breen (breens@stolaf.edu or 1-507-646-3530), Instructor, Political Science.
-Patrick Thomas '03 (Olafenvinterns@hotmail.com or 1-952-470-9388), student and website designer (English Major and Environmental Studies Concentrator).

This is a web service for St. Olaf students/faculty and members of the Northfield/Rice County community only.  If neither of these descriptions applies to you, please refrain from contacting the administrators of this site and/or any St. Olaf faculty listed herein.