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Thursday, June 1, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
OPINION
A
question I hate is one,
like
clockwork,
that
I
find
myself
answering
every year beginning in April and
through June. And after summer?
It becomes a question in the past
tense. I don’t like that question for
largely two reasons. Firstly, because
I sometimes don’t know what I’m
going to be doing and secondly, it’s
often not nearly as cool as what
others are doing. But even more so
because follow up questions almost
always lead to the “paid or unpaid”
question.
Sheepishly, I would sometimes
admit to someone that I am not
getting paid, quickly adding that I
know I’m very fortunate to be able
to have the position. But sometimes,
hopefully trying to avoid further
conversation, I would be somewhat
vague as to my position — hoping
that the person won’t ask the
question in the first place.
Before I go further, I want to
make it clear that I recognize
that
some
people
who
need
to
get
a
paying
job
might
feel
uncomfortable
in
these
conversations
as
they
cannot
necessarily accept a potentially
exciting position because it is
unpaid. Here, though, I can only
speak to my experiences, and for
me, what made me uncomfortable
about this question was I had to
recognize my privilege.
For the past two summers, I’ve
worked at a few law organizations
as an unpaid intern, learning
extensively about asylum law and
the procedure to gain legal status
in the United States, as well as
observing the workings of different
civil courts and the process of
eviction cases. Though I am
certainly not ready to take the Bar
or anything, there is no doubt I have
gained valuable experience. And as
became evident in interviews for
internship positions, my unpaid,
stipend positions at the Daily
helped me get these jobs. These are
experiences I likely would not have
had if I needed a full-time paying
job throughout the year.
Furthermore,
though
being
enrolled in top schools is still
important, recent findings make it
clear that something else is often
what sets some job candidates
apart.
Lauren
A.
Rivera,
a
researcher
at
Northwestern
University, found that it wasn’t
enough for someone to hail from
an elite university. Extracurricular
activities have become a large
part of what recruiters for elite
companies are looking for in their
interns.
More
frequently
now
than
ever before, recruiters are doing
what Rivera calls a “secondary
screening” — looking for people
who have also done “high status,
resource-intensive
activities”
outside of the classroom. And these
types of activities, according to
Rivera, are most specifically in line
with the activities of those who
are white and in the upper-middle
class. This practice “contributes to
a social closure of elite jobs based
on socio-economic status.”
The
bottom
line?
Having
the
ability
to
partake
in
extracurricular
activities
that
do
not
pay,
getting
unpaid
internship experiences that will
give them more of a leg up, helps
tremendously in the long run. And
unfortunately, without change,
this structure will continue to
perpetuate inequalities, which is
especially dire given the studies
that show how certain groups of
people — especially minorities —
disproportionately face financial
barriers to these opportunities.
Nonetheless, I am not trying to
say that people who work multiple
jobs cannot also hold unpaid
internships simultaneously. My
intent is not to paint a picture
that diminishes anyone’s ability
to balance many responsibilities.
I know many people who have
multiple paying jobs and do
amazing internships. But even so,
there will be some internships that
won’t be possible, or they will not
get time to do other things and
further their interests outside of
work and internships. Finances
NISA KHAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF
SARAH KHAN
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
DAYTON HARE
MANAGING EDITOR
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
“What are you doing this summer?”
shouldn’t ever be a barrier, but they
are, and we need to do something
about it.
Those who can work the most
rigorous,
all-encompassing
internships, those who can afford
to be paid very little if nothing
at all, have their pick of a much
larger
number
of
internships.
Those who can spend hours
each week in organizations as an
undergraduate, those who can
volunteer extensively at nonprofits,
are the ones whose resumes will
presumably be sent to the top of the
pile when they apply for jobs.
I
know
many
smaller
organizations
—
non-profits,
for example, that are helping
people of low income — cannot,
understandably so, pay a bunch
of students to do some filing and
shadow lawyers to court. But I
implore the organizations that have
the capabilities to do so to really
invest in their interns.
And the University of Michigan
must also do its part. I can tell
you now, administrators, if you’re
reading this, that what I won’t
remember is the extra comfy chairs
in the study room in Mason Hall,
or the extra shine of the building
plaque. But what I will remember
are the nights I was at the Daily
until 2 a.m. to publish an editorial
alongside a breaking news story.
I’ll remember standing for nearly
24 hours at Dance Marathon. I’ll
remember learning about asylum
law and sitting in on cases at
eviction court.
I know funding is often tied up
in a specific entity, I know it’s not
as simple as reallocating funds
and all that stuff. But to encourage
diversity, to attract people from all
walks of life, I ask that the University
take the lead in continuing to
create and promote scholarships
for students to take on leadership
roles in campus organizations and
summer internships so everyone
has a more equal chance at the best
opportunities.
Central Student Government’s
scholarship is an important start,
but we need more. Everyone,
regardless
of
their
financial
situation, deserves a chance to
thrive. Because when given the
tools, more often than not, people
will take these opportunities and
thrive. And furthermore, everyone
deserves the chance to do what
they love and not worry about the
financial barriers. This might seem
overly optimistic, but even as a
person who leans pessimistic more
often than not, I truly believe we
can work toward giving everyone
these chances.
And for the individuals who
may be reading this and frustrated
because you think I am telling you
to forgo your job at the American
Embassy to stand up against
unpaid internships, I’m not. Keep
your plane ticket, move into your
apartment and enjoy your job. But
I implore you to recognize it as a
privilege. There are many students,
as summer rolls around, who can’t
afford to pick and choose their jobs
or internships because they need
to work somewhere that will pay
them. They can’t go out-of-state or
abroad because that would mean
finding housing and transportation.
Be thankful for what you have, and
do your part to work to shape the
future.
Whether
it’s
committing
to
continue research like Rivera’s,
writing articles exposing these
inequalities, advocating for changes
to work policies, writing grants
or lobbying for scholarships for
students to do unpaid internships
or take on a leadership role in a
student
organization,
everyone
can make a difference. Changes to
the system don’t only have to come
from the ones with millions of
dollars to give to charities. Big
or small, what you do will make
a difference.
—Anna Polumbo-Levy can be
reached annapl@umich.edu.
Carolyn Ayaub
Megan Burns
Samantha Goldstein
Caitlin Heenan
Jeremy Kaplan
Sarah Khan
Anurima Kumar
Ibrahim Ijaz
Max Lubell
Lucas Maiman
Alexis Megdanoff
Madeline Nowicki
Anna Polumbo-Levy
Jason Rowland
Ali Safawi
Sarah Salman
Kevin Sweitzer
Rebecca Tarnopol
Stephanie Trierweiler
Anna Polumbo-Levy
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY| COLUMN
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Everyone,
regardless of their
financial situation,
deserves a chance
to thrive.