Students deserve pay for effort

editorial cartoon by Monica Schwarze
editorial cartoon by Monica Schwarze

During college, students often find themselves looking for practical work experience in their chosen fields. Internships are usually the answer to gaining that needed experience and building a strong resume. The problem with internships, though, is that many do not pay students for their time, expenses and skills.

Professors and companies who hire interns argue that the intern receives work experience and college credit as an incentive. It is nice to get college credit and practical work experience, but most students cannot devote their time to a non-paying job because they do not have extra time available in their schedules.

Internships are sometimes considered a “class” because college units can be earned. But at an internship, one can devote more hours than he or she would for a class. The problem with this is that many students cannot work those hours and keep a paying job.

It does not make sense for students to quit their part-time jobs to do internships which may only last three months. Many students financially depend on their part-time jobs and could never consider working for free. When the internship is over, what is the student supposed to do for money? Use his new reference to pay the bills? It is tough enough to raise money for tuition, book fees, housing, food, transportation and additional monies for leisure spending. Most students cannot afford to work only for college units. It is unfair, especially since students are the ones paying for those units through their college tuition.

It is OK to pay a college or university for classes, but it is not OK to pay tuition just for the right to work for an outside company. Not every student has the option of not taking an internship because many areas of study, such as behavioral science, education, communications and athletic training, require them.

Unpaid internships also bring down students’ salary expectations when they graduate. If a student works for nothing he or she will not demand a higher-paying entry-level position. Nor will employers offer high salaries because they have college interns who can do extra work—for free. Students will continually be undercut because there will always be someone who will do the job for nothing.

Students who are placed in internships are expected to work in a professional manner and complete all assignments in a timely fashion. They are used for a variety of tasks. Sometimes they stuff envelopes and other times they have the responsibilities of a regular employee. Either way, the interns are expected to perform their duties just like any other employee. Therefore, it is a job and should be paid accordingly—even if only a stipend is offered.

Students depend upon internships so they can compete against the next person for that rare employment opportunity after graduation. But just because students need internships for experience does not mean employers should take advantage of students. Nothing is ever free in this world. Remember the old adage, “You can’t get something for nothing.” It is true—or at least it should be when it comes to unpaid internships.
The solution is obviously payment for services rendered, but internships are not going to change that easily—unless students refuse to work for nothing and demand payment.

It is important that academic departments at ULV do not take advantage of students by requiring them to work for free. It should be built into a department’s curriculum and it is up to faculty to seek out paying internships for their students and to properly advise them into doing what will be best for the student, both short term and long term.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

Monica Schwarze, Features Editor
Monica Schwarze

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