re : hiring practices for summer interns sally , thanks for the e - mail regarding summer interns . i apologize that lexi and shelly were unable to provide you with the answers you were seeking . i wish that you had contacted either celeste or me to indicate that you were having difficulty . i have personally assured you on several occasions that i was available to either speak with you or meet with you if for some reason any member of my staff was not responsive . that being said please allow me to explain the recruiting strategy since i was instrumental in helping to set it . you are absolutely correct . it is great to do market research if time permits or it is regarding an issue of which we have little knowledge . as you are aware , over the past year we have engaged a professional recruiting firm ( brecker & merryman ) who has assisted us in a number of different market research projects . however , in my opinion , this issue is not one that required much research . i have been involved in recruiting in some way , shape or form at both the graduate and undergraduate level for the past 10 years . most major organizations , with the exception of the accounting firms , begin the summer intern recruiting process in early spring . there are actually some universities that do not allow recruitment of summer interns until after a certain date , particularly in the mba programs . for example , harvard does not allow an organization to come on campus and speak to first year students until january . as indicated , the firms that generally recruit in the fall are the accounting firms and they are primarily recruiting for " spring " internships . the recruiting strategy at enron is no different this year than it was last year with respect to summer interns . presentations were made in january however , because lexi has other school interviews that are already scheduled she will not be in a position to facilitate the interview process during the trip you have scheduled currently . as you are aware , in most instances , the dates for presentations and interviews are dictated by the respective universities and were secured in early august . if you would like for her to try and secure an interview schedule for a later date this fall she can certainly work with your schedule and her current schedule to support your efforts . i hope this has been helpful . i can understand and appreciate your frustration if you are not getting answers from the recruiter or her manager . again , i offer that i am available and willing to work with you if you are having difficulty with members of the program staff . please let me know what you decide about recruiting this fall for summer interns and whether i can be of any additional assistance . charlene