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The Fourth Wall |
Is an unpaid internship
a positive learning experience
or an abuse of a worker’s right
to compensation? This is a hot-
ly debated topic in career plan-
ning, affecting students on a
national level and here on cam-
pus at Penn State Mont Alto.
Many students are looking to
subsidize their education
through work experience, and
many are frustrated to discover
that internship opportunities
commonly do not include a pay
check, ©
According to the US
Department of Labor Federal
Internship Guidelines, several
criteria must be met before a
company can justify hiring an
unpaid intern. Among them,
the internship must benefit the
student (not the company) and
that student may not displace
the hiring of a regularly paid
employee. In other words, a
company cannot decide to
“save money” by hiring a stu-
dent to do menial work.
What could be the pos-
sible benefit of accepting an
unpaid internship? Assuming
the internship falls within the
federal guidelines, an unpaid
experience can “pay off’ in
many other ways:
1) An internship connects
the academic setting with the
professional setting. Instead of
simply learning about a given
subject, an internship provides
hands-on training within an
industry that will prepare the
student for their future career.
2) College is the best time
to start building a resume, and
internships (whether they are
paid or not) look fantastic on a
resume. Internship experience
related to a student’s major
looks better on a resume than
unrelated paid work experience.
3) Internship site supervi-
sors can be a great resource for
your reference list.
4) Networking is a major
component of job searching,
and internship sites can be the
best place for students to start
networking with professionals
in their field.
5) Internships provide a
“test-drive” of a student’s cho-
sen career.
Whether or not to accept
an unpaid internship is solely
the decision of each student.
It’s important to be informed
about the internship guidelines,
which can be viewed at:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/
compliance/whdfs71.htm.
For more information about
internships and career planning,
please contact the Career Ser-
vices Office.
A Letter From Kim Hoover, Res Life Director
Dear Penn State Mont Alto Campus Community,
As many of you are aware, I have had the pleasure of working in the Penn State Mont Alto com-
munity for more than five and a half years and the time has come for me to leave our home for new op-
portunities. American novelist Amelia Barr once said, “All changes are more or less tinged with melan-
choly, for what we are leaving behind is a part of ourselves.” In the past few months I have come to real-
ize how true this quote has become for me. Through the allegations made against Penn State and even the
departure of a Penn State legend, I have seen our campus community come together and demonstrate,
time and again, that WE ARE PENN STATE!
Someone here once said to me that I should be careful and not expect too much from students
because they may not always be able to achieve it. I said that we should challenge students to meet a
higher standard because it’s not only about students learning from the experience but also about the stu-
dents having an opportunity to show that they can succeed. Over the years I have seen so many of our
students not only meet our expectations but excel past them to be successful far beyond our campus com-
munity. I hope that the students of Penn State Mont Alto will take the words of our beloved Joe Paterno
to heart and continue to strive for “Excellence and Success with Honor” as they have demonstrated in the
past.
I have grown to love my time at Mont Alto and will truly miss this wonderful Penn State com-
munity as my own family and I embark on our new adventure. Thank you for such great memories and
for making my time at Penn State something I will cherish and take with me everywhere I go.
Sincerely,
Kim Hoover
Residence Life and Student Affairs
“A Letter From the Mont Alto Student Government Association
Dear Students,
As we are sure you well know, State Patty’s Day will be celebrated by Penn State students
on February 25th as usual. This year, the Mont Alto Student Government Association and the Coun-
cil of Commonwealth Student Governments are asking students to stay home in lieu of the usual
festivities. Last year, Penn State students caused a massive $34,141 in damages to the borough of
State College. Additionally, 234 students were arrested, and 200 were hospitalized for alcohol poi-
soning. This doesn’t even take into account the damage done to Penn State’s name. Given recent
events, we feel it necessary to ask students to conduct themselves in a respectful and respectable
manner.
Best Regards,
Mont Alto SGA
Dear Fourth Wall Staff,
Thank you so much for all the :
hard work you’ve put into this :
issue. You're all incredible!
Happy Valentine’s Day,
Michael & John
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