In the years when student activism was still something of which to be proud, when students routinely occupied government offices and college departments and when you were nobody until you'd stood outside the US embassy demanding freedom for Nicaraguan coffee roasters, there was only one real threat which the authorities could wield against students.
As they stood in the cold, placards in hand, denouncing US involvement in El Salvador and egging on gardai to have a go if they were hard enough, a Garda sergeant would sidle up and quietly point out that if they did not put their placards away and go home he would arrest them. If they were arrested, he would continue, then they would not be able to get a visa for the United States, and everybody wanted to go to the United States.
At that point, large numbers of protesters would sidle off, because the sergeant was right: everybody did want to go to the United States and, for most, that situation has not changed.
(To be fair, the authorities occasionally varied their tactics. During an occupation of the Department of Education a few years ago, one USI officer was told that he could leave by walking down the stairs or he would be thrown down. He walked.)
This year, USIT will be offering about 6,600 J1 visas for the US Student Work and Travel Programme, which will be available to applicants on a first-come, first-serve basis from February 3rd.
In addition, some 700 visas are to be made available to applicants who have already taken part in the J1 programme and would like to do so again. In previous years, students who had already participated in the programme were precluded from doing so again. This year, the US Information Agency has authorised the use of part of the J1 allocation for second-time applicants, although applications will only be accepted from February 10th from those who wish to avail of the second-chance visas.
SAYIT (Student and Youth International Travel) is also running a J1 programme and applications for its programme opened earlier this month (see panel).
As well as offering students a chance to experience life in the US from June to October, it also provides one of the few real moneymaking opportunities which will not draw sidelong glances from the Criminal Assets Bureau.
According to a USIT survey of participants in last year's J1 programme, almost 50 per cent of students had a weekly take-home pay of $300 or more, while the average was $284.30. Total earnings averaged out at $2,818.61, with 34 per cent of students earning in excess of $3,500.
Finding work is still, apparently, not a problem. Almost 60 per cent of students secured work within 10 days of arrival in the US and 27 per cent had secured work prior to travelling. Restaurants and hotels accounted for half of all jobs, but most students worked in at least two jobs during their stay and the majority (63 per cent) worked more than 40 hours per week.
Irish students are notable for living in the kind of conditions which even the average ant would consider a bit crowded. Last year, 10 per cent of students lived with between 11 and 20 other people, while two per cent shared with more than 20 - the sort of statistic usually associated with Thai prisons.
Almost two-thirds of participants said accommodation was not readily available in the area where they worked, but half of them had secured accommodation within one week of arriving in the US. More than half of students paid $50 to $100 per week for accommodation, while the average was about $66 per week. Deposits averaged out at just under $200.
This year, USIT will give participants a "Participant File", including information on travel and helplines, as well as a list of employers and a $5 phone card. In addition, seven students will win back the cost of their flights and participation fees.
In the end, the J1 programme is one of the best experiences - with the possible exception of regular sex - that most students will enjoy during their college years.
