Discussed at length the rulings of current cases in unpaid internships, the relationship between the university and federal government and potential solutions.

1. By Araceli “Sally” Pérez-Ramos

2. Did you know…

3. 1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the
facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be
given in an educational environment;
2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under
close supervision of existing staff;
4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate
advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its
operations may actually be impeded;
5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of
the internship; and
6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not
entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

4. Largest landmark case in unpaid internships

5. • Esquire, Redbook, Marie Claire
• Xuedan “Diane” Wang called the “Norma Rae
of fashion interns
• Importance of
“Class Certification”

6. “I thought that I was wronged…It’s not really about
money. I want to prevent this [experience] for future
interns” (Barnidge, 2013, p. 1).

7. “Who will this benefit? If the honest answer is ‘the company’ you
will want to think again.” (Gest, 2013, p. 22).
“All the potential legal ramifications an employer would have with
independent contractors, the company would also have with
interns. These ramifications include workers’ compensation,
personal injury claims, and state law issues.” (Potential Pitfalls,
2013, p. 8).

8. The decision to shut down the internship program “shocked
former interns and aspiring writers, who say the decision will
hurt college students struggling to gain experience at a
shrinking number of publications…the decision will close the
door on hundreds of students hoping to intern at [Condé Nast
publications] making it even tougher to break into the
journalism industry, students say” (Otani, 2013).

9. Either pay the intern
Or create a formal learning agreement

10. • No friendly line broached when it comes to colleges and the Labor
Department understanding on how internships should be handled
financially
• “It’s up to the colleges and universities to define the educational
import of the internship. Some unpaid internships may exploit
students, and the Labor Department must enforce the law. But
assessing educational merit is colleges’ – and their accreditors’ –
prerogative.” (Lipka, 2010, p. 1).

11. “At institutions across the country, full time, unpaid
internships required for graduation are often charged at
or near the normal tuition rate” (Perlin, 2011, p. 1).
“The National Association of Colleges and Employers has
found that only 28% of colleges associate classroom
experience with academic credit for internships, while 25%
do not require any kind of written assignments, 15% do not
require any faculty supervision and 6% require nothing at
all” Perlin, 2011, p. 2).

12. • “The LACI 101: Credit Internship Course is a one-credit, web-based
course designed to complement a student’s internship
experience. Assignments will be completed each week and uploaded to
UT’s online course site, Canvas. Assignments include journals, resume
writing, evaluations and a final paper” ("UT College of Liberal Arts",
n.d.). Internships can be located in any area around the country and
across the globe. Internship site eligibility is evaluated on a case-by-case
basis using the base criteria as provided by the Liberal Arts
Center.
• UT’s LAC website states “the fee for the LACI Internship Course has an
administrative fee of $40 and a course fee of $260, for a total of $300.”