​Inspecting internships

The return of warmer weather and roaming packs of high school tour groups on campus can only mean one thing: summer break is nearing, and with it, internship season. Over 90 percent of employers have expressed a belief that students ought to complete at least one internship before graduation. That expectation has brought an immense pressure upon students to participate in internships, especially in the context of a still uncertain job market. As many students discover, however, a large number of internships, despite demanding long hours, offer no compensation, making it difficult to justify taking them over a job or higher paying opportunity.

In 2011, we argued that the proliferation of unpaid internships puts low income students at a disadvantage, given the need for them to find a way to pay for housing and food over the summer. Since then, little has changed. In recent years, the cost of living has only increased in popular internship cities. According to The Economist, the cost of living in New York City rose 23 percent between 2009 and 2015. Washington D.C., meanwhile, rose to the rank of number one for most expensive housing. Students of lower socioeconomic status who wish to take an unpaid position are often put in a difficult predicament as they consider whether they can afford to bear both the cost of living in a foreign city and the opportunity cost of not taking a paid position that would allow them to earn funds to put towards academic costs like tuition and school supplies.

Unpaid internships generally operate under a standard set by the US Department of Labor that states that for-profit companies may abstain from paying students if the experience students gain during the internship is “similar to training which would be given in an educational environment.” Often times, it is dubious whether students actually receive such an experience. In cases where they do not, as courts have ruled, companies are illegally exploiting labor that students, anxious for an opportunity for personal and career advancement, have been convinced they must offer up for free. Despite legal attention, unpaid internships are especially common in the realms of humanities, health sciences, communications, and education where related careers often demand prior experience. In order to help mend the situation, universities including NYU and Columbia have taken steps to emphasize Labor Department guidelines on their job and internship portal websites and have refused to offer credit for internships from rule-offending companies. Their actions have set an important precedent against employers who seek to prey upon unwitting students. We hold that Duke should follow the lead of its peers, warning against exploitative companies and internships through the Career Center. In addition, we maintain our earlier stated position that by banding with other universities, Duke can pressure state governments into changing guidelines for compensation for internships.

Some internships though, especially those in government departments or at nonprofit organizations, like the ACLU, although clearly not exploitative, are bound to remain unpaid. Through student affairs, Duke has abundant funding opportunities that make such positions financially viable for undergraduates through grants and housing subsidies. We urge the administration to more prominently advertise those opportunities. For students, especially economically disadvantaged ones, the extra funds can determine whether they have the chance to engage in a vital part of their academic and professional development, opening up doors that would be otherwise remain closed.