For the third year, Institute juniors visited the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a private briefing with Secretary Alphonso Jackson.  In previous years, the twelve students met around a conference table in the Secretary’s office.  With a larger class of 24 scholars, this summer’s session was moved to a larger room in HUD’s headquarters, the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building.  The discussion was no less intimate, with the Secretary answering questions ranging from the effectiveness of the federal government’s response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster to the constitutionality of HUD programs.  As always, Jackson encouraged the scholars to continue to work hard, with the goal of becoming successful enough to be able to help other people.  He also told the scholars that one of the benefits of their hard work in college is that it puts them in touch with others who will run the country one day.