Pepperdine University Refuses Student's Internship With Marijuana Policy Project

Not in Malibu

Ah, working for free. That unforgettable experience in lean times -- also called an "internship" -- is an entry into the white-collar world for many young go-getters in college.

So Victoria Stanzione was a bit confused when her school, Malibu's Pepperdine University, told her she couldn't work for free. Or at least she couldn't intern at the Marijuana Policy Project's Washington, D.C., offices and receive school credit, according to reports.

Stanzione, who moved to D.C. for the fall semester, was told interning with the legalization lobbying firm "did not align with the mission of the university," reports the Huffington Post.

She's since received another internship, but the incident's been an educational experience for all involved, to say the least.

Stanzione never expected to be approved for school credit at an internship with the MPP, according to the HuffPo. And her expectations were fulfilled by associate Dean Michael Feltner, a professor of sports medicine, who told her that the internship violated "the purpose of Pepperdine University."

A spokesman for Pepperdine, a Christian university, reiterated that a marijuana-themed internship violates school principles.

"With the legal status of marijuana use in the country and with Pepperdine being a dry campus it goes without saying that elicit [sic] drug use is not allowed on campus in any way shape or form," Jerry Derloshon, a university spokesman, told the HuffPo.

The HuffPo produced a nice gotcha moment by digging through the university handbook, where it found this nugget: "The atmosphere in which students are encouraged to explore faith and scholarship, is reflected in Pepperdine's affirmation statement, in which it says, 'Truth has nothing to fear from investigation.'"

Stanzione has since received an internship at the Center for American Progress. As for us, we recommend our younger brothers and sisters not to party -- or study -- at ol' Pep. Sounds hella lame.

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