Each semester, Ithaca College reserves five spots for students to attend the Cornell University in D.C. program. No students are currently enrolled for this semester and only five have participated in the exchange program since the affiliation began in 2011. The lack of attention given to the semester in D.C. option is a shortcoming of the administration and a missed opportunity for current students. 

As the college pushes forward with the New York City program, it has failed to adequately promote the value of spending a semester in the nation’s capital. College officials said they are committed to reestablishing the D.C. program once the New York Program is better established.

While the New York program is a worthwhile venture, it should not come at the cost of other programs. A semester in D.C. offers students the opportunity to become politically involved in both government and non-government organizations as well as to build connections with alumni. A semester program in D.C. also allows students without the financial means to spend a summer in the city to still look toward D.C.-based internships during their collegiate career. By neglecting this important program, the administration is failing to engage the college’s many politically minded students in a program that would be highly beneficial to their academic and professional growth.