By Jeffry Hernandez

With Snowstorm Juno being more like a regular snow day in the mist of winter rather than a “Historic Blizzard” that many predicted, precautions were rather diverse along the Atlantic.

The residents of Suffolk County, NY are no strangers to inclement weather. Snowstorm Nemo in 2013 had snowfall reaching over a foot of snow at 14 inches according to weather.com, and with the average temperatures being in the thirties from December to February, according to USA.com, snowstorms and blizzards seem to be a daily occurrence once winter rolls around.

Being that Suffolk County has become accustomed to the grueling weather conditions, precautions are handled differently than in other parts of the country.

Officer Staples of the Stafford County Police Department in Stafford, Virginia tells me how they handle winter and its treacherous conditions.

Me: In the event of possible treacherous wintry conditions being reported, what are the primary steps you guys take in order to maintain a level of safety?

Officer Staples: We make sure we have all of our equipment ready, depending on the level of severity, we make sure everything is prepared before hand

Me: What are the levels?

Officer Staples: There are five levels. Five being the highest – that would be snowfall twelve inches or higher for example

Me:  Do you guys handle everything in real time or by predication?

Officer Staples: We handle the weather in real     time; we have a good relationship with VDOT (Virginia Department of Motor Transportation) so if the weather gets bad we work with them on how to handle weather situations

Me: In Suffolk County, New York opposed to in Stafford, Virginia, there are more options as far routes, such as highways and main roads, at times a good thing and a bad thing but would you say since there is a minimal amount of major traffic routes, does it affect precautions taken when it comes to winter conditions?

Officer Staples: Absolutely, being that there are only two major highways along Stafford being Route 1 and I95 that plays a huge part in how we go about public safety.

Although traffic plays a huge role in Stafford County opposed to as in Suffolk County precautions and safety are generally handled the same in both counties.

 By Kristina Nolan 

Internships are not only a way to meet people, but a way to network yourself and gain experience in the career field you seek. But the question that may be on college students minds is; what is the right procedure to get myself into the right internship for my career path. Lucky for you we have compiled interviews and procedures to enable you to find that ‘perfect’ internship.

First of all it is helpful to know what your interests are, or to have intended major. “The internship classes can all count towards fulfilling a degree requirement, if like any other course, the student has an open requirement in their SAIN for the course. HUM130 can count as a humanities, a liberal

(Photo courtesy of Google Images)

arts and sciences course requirement  or an unrestricted elective. The other internship courses also fulfill degree requirements.” Said Humanities Professor Veronica Miller.

The next step, that is recommended is heading to the Babylon Student Center or the Admissions office to get advice from the professionals on campus as to what internships exist for each major and interest. You would be surprised at how many different internships and opportunities there are, all you need to do is pursue the right course of action.

Professor, Miller, who teaches HUM130, explains her position and the career opportunities for this course;  “Career Internship: Equity, Choices, and Professionalism in the Workplace.   Students enrolled in the HUM130 work an average of 6 hours per week in an internship related to exploring their intended career, but that is not where it ends.  The weekly seminar guides students in developing an awareness of the credentials required to get into their intended career field in order to provide a path to follow after completing the Associate degree at Suffolk and transferring to a four year college”. She goes on to say, “Informational Interviews of professionals in the field yield a glimpse into the footpath of that professional; questions such as where they went to college, what they majored in, what degree was required and how they like the career are asked.”

Success stories on campus show how internships or extra circulars help you get the advantage you need in the real world.  For example, Editing and Design Professor, Courtney MacGinley, who studied Communications at NYIT said, “I focused my undergraduate program in Film and Journalism. During that time I interned with the Tribeca Film Festival as well as the IFC Gotham Awards, an independent film awards show presented by the Independent Film Channel.  She went on to say, “These internships definitely influenced my decision to pursue the media side of the industry as opposed to the film making side in that I found I was more interested in covering the events than attending them.”

Internships are great when you want to prepare yourself for the real world. Professor MacGinley went on to say, “I gained real world work experience and I reflect back on these as good learning opportunities”.

Though what cannot be underrated is the importance of having a community on campus and using all the opportunities offered to your full advantage. MacGinley said, “While in college though I focused less on internships and more on getting involved in on-campus programs that were affiliated within the Communications Department.  I wrote for the campus newspaper for 4 years, had my own talk radio show for 2 years, and joined the theater group and acted in campus productions for 3 seasons.  All of these, while they weren’t internships, really helped me hone my skills, and apply my passions and pursue my desired field while making on-campus connections, many of whom I still have stayed in contact with.  In some cases, I was also able to gain credits for my participation in these programs”.

As does Professor Miller who helps students with internship placement, “Beyond these experiences in the internship placement, the hour and 15 minute weekly seminar provides a time for sharing, reflection and discussions about issues such as gender and ethnic equity, hiring and firing practices, tokenism, unionism and the ways that artistic expression of our talents and professional aspirations can bring self-satisfaction in our careers.”