RACHEL JOHNSON
Assistant Perspectives Editor
This summer, I landed the dream internship for a journalism student: I wrote entertainment news briefs, interviewed celebrities, attended a press junket and a movie premiere, all while living at the amazing Pepperdine’s house in London.
The part that wasn’t so dreamy was that the internship was unpaid. Not only did I not have a salary, but my bank account was dwindling.
College students are faced with the choice to take an unpaid position and earn credible work experience, or take a job that doesn’t contribute to their future career, simply to make money. Should a student take the babysitting job and have cash in his pocket? Or should he take the internship with ABC News and have an extra item on his resume?
The second choice is always preferred, but for many, unemployment is not an option. Yet many employers are making it increasingly difficult for students to get jobs after they graduate if they haven’t had relevant work experience. What should students do?
Administrators at the University of Chicago have made the choice easy for their students, allowing them to accept the unpaid position, while the school pays the bill. The school, like many others joining the trend across the nation, is offering financial aid for summer work, just as they do during the academic year.
Although University of Chicago representatives did not return any calls, the Chicago Tribune reports that the school is able to pay students during the summer through funding from a grant called the Metcalf Fellowships. Under the grant, 177 students are receiving money for their internships. The Tribune says university administrators hope to provide aid for up to 300 students by 2010.
University of Chicago officials did not return calls regarding how much financial aid is delegated to each student but the Tribune reports that one student working an unpaid internship at the Chicago History Museum received $4,000.
The concept levels the playing field for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Instead of having to choose an odd job over an internship, or trying to juggle both responsibilities at once, students at the University of Chicago can focus on gaining work experience without worrying about how to pay the bills. This is something students all over the country need, especially those living on tight budgets.
As of yet, Pepperdine does not offer financial aid over the summertime.
“We would have interest in that [program] but it’s the sort of thing where I don’t think it’s eminent because I would want to raise money,” said President Andrew K. Benton. “Our first order of business is to help reduce the financial impact on students before we undertake another project that would be taking dollars away from financial aid.”
Fortunately, it seems that our school is making strides in the right direction. The Randall Internship Program debuts this semester as a result of an endowment for one-year funding. Students who apply to the program get a chance to participate in an internship for class credit and can receive up to $250 for transportation costs.
According to internship coordinator Nancy Shatzer, there are 60 spaces available. Students majoring in humanities, fine arts and social sciences are eligible to participate in the program during first semester. Majors that aren’t represented in the fall will offer internships in the spring.
Shatzer has contacted employers throughout southern California and has made connections with representatives for students to have unpaid course credit internships at Fox Studios and the County of Los Angeles. Fox has internship opportunities in all divisions, including Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports and Fox Cable Networks. To participate you must be a junior, senior, or graduate student with a good academic standing.
The County of Los Angeles is offering internships including architectural, Insect Care and Programming, Native Revegetation, ranger interpreter and more. For more information visit their internship database at http://dhr.lacounty.info/intjobs.htm. Students may choose to intern at other establishments, but they must prove that they will be doing more than clerical work.
“We use the formula of 70/30,” Shatzer said. “70 percent of the internship should be new learning, project-based, increasing in responsibility and worth the students’ time. The remaining 30 percent is a portion of time spent on typical clerical and routine tasks.”
Ideally, students would be offered grants, scholarships or financial aid comparable to a salary to compensate them while working an unpaid job. It’s especially crucial in glamorous, fast-paced Los Angeles; as internships go, the more illustrious the field, the more difficult it is to find a job that pays. This funding could eventually help students have an equal opportunity at gaining work experience and establishing connections. Plus, finally getting paid to do something a student loves, something that will further his career, is something students can definitely get excited about.
08-27-2007