Editor’s Note: This letter was written in response to Patrick Young’s article published in the Aug. 26 edition of The Reflector.
After having read the article written by Patrick Young in The Reflector on Aug. 26, about Mississippi State University’s internships, I was disappointed that the author made numerous blanket statements about internships.
I believe several clarifications need to be made. Mr. Young did make a few valid points, but he also made several blanket statements that don’t apply to the internship programs offered by various colleges and departments at MSU.  Each college or department has a different set of standards and procedures for the internship process and placement.
Mr. Young seems to be surprised and upset about having to pay a fee for receiving college credit. The university has to pay faculty and staff that find these internship opportunities for students and develop the internship program for each major. It is no different than a regular class where you are in a classroom setting. I have been working closely with the internship coordinator in the communication department for the last few months. I have been very involved in the process of finding internships for students and helping the coordinator with students directly.
It is a job that requires time and effort on both of our parts. I also took the class myself this summer, so I know firsthand from both sides of the process how hard it is to find, complete and pay for an internship for credit.
The class is planned by the internship coordinator, and although it does not take place in a classroom setting, I still had to complete assigned readings, book reports on the readings, email updates and evaluations, not to mention all of the other tasks I had to do for my internship itself. Had I not completed those tasks set by my supervisor, I would not have gotten a favorable review or an A. That brings me to another point I disagree with in his article.
I do not know how things are done in the department you belong to, but in the Department of Communication, we receive letter grades based on the quality of our work.
The internship coordinator reads our reports, emails and evaluations and determines our grade. It is a lot more than pass or fail, so I think it is highly unfair to make the suggestion that every college or department grades that way when this is far from the case.
It is demanding of not only myself as a student, but of the coordinator, too, who has to plan our assignments and keep track of what we do. I would not do my work in the department for free, nor would I expect the coordinator to put all of her effort into making the syllabus and finding opportunities for students for free. I gladly pay the tuition.
If students are going to be responsible adults and secure an internship for credit, they need to do their homework first and realize that they must pay just like with any other MSU class. Also, most employers require students to receive credit especially if the internship is unpaid.
If you look at state employment laws, it is illegal for students to work without some type of compensation, and that is most often in the form of college credit. This is not a barrier to students or a process to weed them out, but a necessity, that I think if you analyzed more, you would understand better instead of misleading students into thinking MSU is trying to scam students when all we are doing is trying to monitor their jobs and help them, and that requires payment.