By Sara Hutchins '05

A quick glance at the navy and red jersey that is hung in Alex Cushman '04's room might mislead someone into thinking he has a strong loyalty to Boston's major league baseball team. Upon closer inspection, however, one realizes that the jersey does not say "Red Sox," but "Ted Sox," the pick-up baseball team of interns who worked in Senator Ted Kennedy's office over the summer.

Cushman was one of these interns as he spent his summer working for Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) in the minority staff office of the Senate HELP committee. HELP stands for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and the committee is designated to deal with all legislation pertaining to these issues.

Cushman worked for Senator Edward Kennedy, in the minority staff office for the Senate HELP committee, of which Senator Kennedy is the ranking Democrat. The HELP committee deals with all legislation regarding health, education, labor or pensions.

The HELP office, which co-ordinates Democratic policy for bills passing through the committee, is made up of 23 senators, and staffed by 11 other people. The committee includes some notable senators, such as, Senator Kennedy himself, Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont who switched from being a Republican to an Independent, which shifted the balance of congress a few years ago, and Senator Hilary Clinton of New York. Daily duties for Cushman included answering phones, preparing materials for committee meetings, researching and delivering Senator Kennedy some of his floor speeches. What Cushman loved most about the experience was seeing the inner workings of the senate and senate committees up close.

Cushman is no stranger to working in the senate. During the summer of 2002, he worked as a page on the senate floor, where he refilled water and distributed correspondence for the senators, although the best part by far was seeing the debates.

During his tenure at the offices for HELP, Cushman got an up close look at the controversial prescription drug bill currently making its way through the committee and then if the bill is passed in the committee then it proceeds to be debated on the senate floor.

Other memories Cushman enjoyed were taking the congressional subway with a senator he included in his junior year term paper, bartending for a retirement party for a director of public relations and media, and talking baseball with Texas Senator John Cornyn.

Cushman has learned a great deal working for senators. "I really enjoyed working in the middle of really important issues, and it was neat reading about things I dealt with everyday in the news." He did note that being around famous senators and behind the scenes of our national government was not a bad way to pass the hot summer months.