Note the SoC timeline;
http://socghop.appspot.com/document/show/program/google/gsoc2009/timeline
So maybe it won't work for 3.1, but perhaps 3.1.1? 3.2?
Well, there won't be any major changes in 3.1.1, but 3.2 is definitely open.
Cool, these are of course details you can work out with interested students. Would you be willing to field questions from prospective students and possibly mentor one? The process is as follows; we're compiling ideas for http://wiki.python.org/moin/SummerOfCode/2009 and getting mentors signed up at http://socghop.appspot.com/ Students are already starting to look over the different organizations ideas pages and connect with mentors. Student application period opens next week. All the mentors for PSF read and review them and we assign mentors to them (often whatever mentor the student worked with to build the proposal). Do you want prospective students contacting the list or the mentor they're interested in working with directly?