April 13 - 19, 2022 EDITOR: Aaliyah Alexander • opinion@thedailyaztec.com
Opinion
The Daily Aztec
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It’s my money and I need it now! We need to abolish unpaid internships
Graphic by Emily Forschen
Generation Z is slowly changing the script when it comes to unpaid labor, and it’s time for the systems currently in place to catch up with the changing of times.
By Athena Jreji CONTRIBUTOR
The U.S. job market has never been more competitive, according to a Forbes report in 2021. As graduates enter the workforce, 90% of employers expect students to have internship experience, which serves as a method of talent acquisition and networking. According to the American Prospect, this skill enhanced resumes by 60%. The ability to work as an intern, let alone a paid one, is of rarity and privilege. The scarce market for internships highlights this with only a third of graduates having participated in one, according to Forbes. When we examine the effect internship acquisition has on post-graduate success, the ethicality of unpaid internships must
be reexamined as one that perpetuates classism, sexism and racism. The rarity of unpaid internships eventually leads to a workplace that is non-inclusive. For many students, working an unpaid internship is a privilege of wealth and race. To students that already struggle with loans, rent and tuition fees, it is a burden. Most lower and middle class students cannot leave their minimum wage job to work for free. This obstacle becomes apparent when we consider how household income is linked to racial inequities, and how unpaid internships may affect students of color. According to the 2019 U.S. census, Black and Hispanic communities were overrepresented in national poverty rates. Students within these demographics are shown to face economic and racial obstacles in acquiring internships with pay, if any at all. A 2019 study by the National Association
of College and Employers (NACE) found Hispanic and multi-racial students had higher chances of never working an internship. White students were more likely to work as paid interns while African American students often worked unpaid internships. NACE also found that nearly 80% of interns received job offers following the internship. Statistics like these demonstrate racial and economic barriers to internship acquisition affect post graduate career success. San Diego State undergraduate Ashley George faced hardships in searching for a paid internship. She echoed the concerns of many students who rely on financial aid for survival. “As someone that lives off student loans, I can’t afford to quit my job and work an unpaid internship,” George said. “But at the same time, I feel like my resume and career path are suffering because of my
matter what culture you are or what your age is, the film is definitely relatable. All of our experiences are different from one another’s so to expect it to speak to one audience is a little tone deaf. In an interview with CBC.com Rosalie Chaing, who plays Mei Mei Lee, addresses the criticism, saying the film was specifically made for the director Domee Shi’s friends. “This is a coming-of-age film, everyone goes through this change,” Chaing said. “I think different people of different cultures are going to go through it differently but at the end of the day the core messiness and change is something everyone can relate to.” Chaing couldn’t have said it better. This movie is about the struggles of trying to find yourself in your teenage years (and that theme can be seen in young adulthood, too). We see this constantly throughout the movie as the main character, Mei Mei, has inner conflict by trying to make her parents happy while simultaneously trying to make herself happy. Editor’s note: this next section contains spoilers. At the beginning of the movie, there is a perfect example of this: Mei Mei illustrates multiple pictures of the guy she likes in her journal. Some are a little more PG-13 than others. When her mother Ming, who is voiced by Sandra Oh, walks in to talk to
By Aaliyah Alexander
financial standing.” Proponents of unpaid internships argue that the experience and mentorship offered substitute for formal education. While mentorship does hold value, these experiences do not suffice for the financial stability of a paying job. Furthermore, students of varying economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds offer new and diverse ideas. Their lack of opportunity represents a broader scope of insufficient representation in professional workforces. Unpaid internships do not mutually benefit students and ultimately discriminate against those that do not have an affluent white background. Unpaid internships also have a long term economic consequence as they reinforce the racial wealth and gender pay gap. A 2016 NACE study found that unpaid internships targeted racially diverse and female dominated majors like journalism, fashion merchandising and human development. Whereas fields dominated by white male students like computer science, business and engineering often had paid internships. This discrepancy can be combated by banning unpaid jobs, which foster environments for classism, sexism and racism. Despite their legality, unpaid internships are a form of labor exploitation today. Their existence and encouragement in higher education only promote structures of discrimination which eventually creep into professional workforces. Through legislation and class consciousness, corporations and universities must work to ban unpaid internships and offer paid internship resources to disadvantaged students. Athena Jreji is a third year studying journalism.
‘Turning Red’ is relatable but if It’s hard to be a f*cking the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it vegan at San Diego State By Cristina Lomardo ASSISTANT ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Disney’s “Turning Red’’ has made headlines this past week and for good reasons. This cute, coming-of-age story about a young girl trying to figure out who she is, all while turning into a red panda is a unique story, showcasing the struggles of trying to live up to a perfect preconceived notion set up by her mother. This movie was made for a good cry in the middle of the night. I definitely did at 3 a.m. while trying really hard not to wake up my roommate. The film specifically focuses on an Asian Canadian family with specific themes people can relate to. Some reviews and critics felt it didn’t speak directly to them, however. In a recent review posted by Cinema Outlet’s (which is now deleted), managing editor Sean O’Connell stated “some Pixar films are made for universal audiences. ‘Turning Red’ is not. The target audience for this one feels very specific and very narrow. If you are in it, this might work very well for you. I am not in it. This was exhausting.” Well, I hate to break it to you, Sean, but I think you missed the whole point of the movie. O’Connell’s review was taken down from Cinema Outlet for being perceived as sexist and racist after being pressed by multiple different outlets, according to IndieWire. Sure, maybe it wasn’t made to primarily appease a 30 plus white audience but, no
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OPINION EDITOR
How does that notorious quote go? “Too much of a good thing…” is something. I can’t recall the rest of the quote, but I know the essence of it is that too much of a good thing can sometimes turn into a bad thing. Well, my “good thing” is San Diego State’s vegan fast food restaurant Plant Power. Being a vegan and all, it’s a given that I’ll be there often. One of the reasons SDSU was on my radar for a university to attend is because of the different vegan spots I could effortlessly go to (something unimaginable in my home state, Mississippi). There’s The Garden, Everbowl, ShakeSmart, Oggi’s, Broken Yolk, The Habit and Plant Power, all of which have vegan-friendly options that accept meal plans. With meal plans at hand and no car, one would be right in the assumption that those options will eventually get tiring especially with COVID-19 restrictions closing down The Garden which offered something as close to a home-cooked meal every night for me. Even now that The Garden is reopened, the vegan options are minimal. Being restricted to Plant Power for lunch and dinner — with the exception of some microwavable vegan meals in the market — my love for Plant Power soon diminished. The more my love diminished for Plant Power, the more upset I became for letting SDSU convince me their campus
Photo by Aaliyah Alexander
Plant Power’s, SDSU location, slogan displayed in restaurant.
was the holy land for college vegans. Do I occasionally switch it up and go to The Habit or turn to microwavables? Of course. But Plant Power is the only place that is completely vegan, thus having the most vegan options. “There’s Chipotle,” one may say. “But it’s not on the meal plan,” I would respond. “Why not cook?” one may inquire. “Because I’m lazy just like you,” I would reply. I’m sure the vegan community and SDSU can reach some compromise in this whole situation. Why not make Chipotle available on the meal plan since The Garden is temporarily altered from buffet to fixed menu? Or maybe we can get rid of Subway and turn it into another all-vegan joint? In my mind, it’s better to have more vegan places than non-vegan places for obvious reasons. SEE ONLINE
