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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1983)
INTERNSHIPS Students find ways to gain experience The University brims with oppor tunities when it comes to student in ternships. Not only can students beef up their resumes, internships give crucial on-the-job experience many employers look for when hiring. From architectural firms to govern mental agencies, the variety and number of potential internships is limited only by the students who seek them. Students often come into the Career Planning and Placement Center office saying they want off-campus intern ships, says Debbie Chereck, a career counselor. Chereck sends the students to potential employers where the internships can be arranged the businesses and the interns. Though the road to establishing an internship appears clear, students have to remember the ball is in their court. Motivation, determination and a willingness to do a little footwork are musts for setting up an internship. Once internships are set up, students and faculty advisors decide how many credits they will receive. Banks, investment firms and retail stores are some internships students created in the past. And sometimes these evolve into part-time jobs, Chereck says. Although the process of developing internships themselves does frighten away some students, those with per sistence and motivation usually find what they want, she says. If students would rather have on campus internships, the paraprofes sional program offers ways to receive credit by working in many University offices, says Gregg Lobisser, assistant director of student development. Like the off-campus internships, students identify where they want to work and then set up the internships with faculty advisors and their supervisors. About 100 students are working in campus offices this term, including those who coordinate the on-campus internship program. But the potential for three times as many campus intern ships exists if students create them, Lobisser says. A booklet explaining the paraprofes sional program in detail is available in Room 364 Oregon Hall. Since 1969, nearly 20,000 University students have worked in local schools, recreation centers and human service agencies through the ESCAPE (Every Student Caring About Personalized Education) field studies program. Tutoring students of all ages, counseling the elderly and teaching handicapped children to swim are only a few of the jobs available to 1,200 stu dent volunteers who participate in the program each year. Students can earn up to five credits per term by enrolling in the program during registration at the beginning of each term. Similiar internships exist in the human services field, which are spon sored by the University Community Ac tion program. They generally attract gerontology, health education and counseling students, but those from all majors (except business) are eligible. Some 36 students work in Eugene and 15 travel to Portland work for nine month internships worth 38 credits in the human services department. In terested students should apply im mediately in rooms 109 or 115 Hen dricks Hall. This term 38 student journalists are interning at newspapers, magazines, advertising and public relations firms and radio and television stations local ly and around the country. Student interns do everything from re-writing wire copy to in-field reporting. Those looking for journalism or telecommunication internships should write, call, or visit potential employers. Bulletin boards in Allen Hail advertise openings, but students should keep their ears and eyes open year-round, as positions vanish quickly. Journalism majors can earn a maximum 3-credit hours for internships. The law school’s Externship pro gram offers law students close super vision by supervising attornies in non profit agencies, such as the Attorney General’s office in Salem and public in terest law firms. Fourth, fifth and sixth-semester law students can earn 12 credit hours for working 16 weeks full-time the entire semester. See Kathy Stoner in the ad ministration office for more details. For more art-oriented internships, fourth and fifth-year architecture students can wol'k in about 18 local firms and do everything from design development to public relations. About 50 students participate in the program yearly, which offers three credits for working 10 hours on the site and attending a weekly seminar. Pro gram information is posted outside the Architecture office on Lawrence Hall’s second floor. The above information does not represent all the internships available to University students. If you don’t see what you want, inquire within depart mental offices. Or better yet, try and develop your own internship. by Joan Herman Students practice politics in state captital By Michele Matassa Of ttw Emerald Scattered through the help wanted ads of the Emerald, the Eugene Register-Guard and the Oregonian are the words “experience necessary.” During these days of recession, when young, “green" graduates face stiff competition in the job market, ex perience counts. Applicants are plen tiful and openings are rare, so employers can afford to be choosy. Since 1977, the University has pro vided students a chance to get on-the job training working with the state Legislature. The internships can be arranged on a Tuesday-Thursday or Monday Wednesday-Friday basis and students earn between six and 12 credits based on time spent with legislators in Salem. The correlation between legislative internships and success in the job market is “unbelievably high, into the ninety-fifth percentile," says Carol Johansen, coordinator of the Universi ty program. “A phenomenal number of students do get jobs from the Legislature," working as paid legislative aides or committee administrators, Johansen says. She often writes recommendation letters for interns seeking future jobs at the capitol, other government agen cies or law school, she says. Once students are matched with available legislators for internships, they usually commute to Salem, where they monitor bills, follow committees, deal with constituents and write testimony for legislators. This session, 33 University students are participating in the program, a decrease from 55 interns in the 1981 session, Johansen says. Although the University has a larger program than other state colleges and universities, fewer students are par ticipating because of the program’s price tag, she says. ‘‘It’s a very costly program »or students because they pay tuition plus transportation up there and there is no reimbursement," she says. But the experience is worth the cost, Johansen says. "The real world deals with com petencies not credentials,” Johansen says. “If they are really interested in the political process in high gear, I try to match them with a committee or legislator who works in high gear,” Johansen says. Unfortunately, not all legislators pro vide this opportunity for students. Johansen doesn’t recognize a strong trend in the type of legislators who put students to work but says many freshmen interns don’t know the program exists until it’s too late. The legislators often don’t find out "how valuable students are” until they “get up there and see three interns run ning the office like clockwork,” Johansen says. Sen. Margie Hendriksen, D-Eugene, has a total of seven interns this ses sion — three of whom are on her per sonal staff — more than any other legislator. Johansen says this is probably oecausu she has a “tremendous net working system for doing her cam paigns. Also, she’s very issue-oriented and people respond to those issues." Sheila Schain, an intern with Hen driksen, agrees that legislators who use interns seem to be more “activists, go-getter types who have more pro jects going." Schain, ASUO budget director for the outgoing administration and a political science major, says the intern ship has given her valuable experience in dealing with people and acting professionally. “So many students don’t interact with anybody besides professors and other students during their college career," Schain says. "My goal is to combine my ex perience with budgeting and my new found interest in the Legislature and the government,” says Schain, who is looking toward either law school or a career in budgeting and the Legislature. Fred Christ, a 1982 graduate of the University, if already putting his intern ship experience to work. A former intern for Hendriksen, Christ is now a paid legislative aide for Rep. Tom Mason, D-Portland. Christ had a legislative career in mind when he went to work for Hendriksen. “Margie just gave me a couple pro jects and let me run with them. She was a very good boss,” he says. As a University law professor and a Eugene lawyei, Hendriksen says the experience is very helpful for students because they "get to understand the legislative process and meet peop'e in volved in the legislative process." 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