6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

EDITOR GAVIN FISHER

To intern, or not to intern

t feels a little strange to be writing |: editorial about unpaid intern- ships as a journalism student because unpaid internships are basically a rite of passage for young reporters breaking into the field.

I completed a month-long unpaid internship in December, and will be doing another one in April as part of my program.

But that will be my last one, I swear, and that brings me to my point: Know your worth, and know when you have to simply say no to working without pay.

Those who advocate for unpaid intern- ships say it’s worth it for the experience. Those against say it’s simply exploitative — one should be paid for the work one does. Then there are others who argue that intern- ships are only for the privileged — some people simply can’t afford to work for free for weeks (or months) on end.

There is some truth to all these arguments, and it often depends on the situation.

Having to work 50-hour weeks and overtime without pay? Definitely exploitative.

But having the opportunity to work in your future career field and receive mentorship for a few weeks? That’s a different story.

That’s the argument I and my fellow journalism students make: we'll do unpaid internships and write freelance pieces without payment, but with the knowledge that it gives us a byline, the opportu- nity to get to know editors, and hopefully leads to a paying job later.

After April I will avoid doing another unpaid internship. I’ll have a certificate in journalism, and two month-long internships, and that will have to be good enough.

I simply can’t afford to keep working for free. I have rent and other bills to pay.

Too many young people with good qualifications are willing to work for free for extended periods of time. Many are already carrying student debt, and only driving themselves deeper into the red. Some companies are starting to abuse the system and use interns to pad their bottom line.

To stop this, we twenty-some- things have to ask ourselves when an internship is exploitative and when an internship is actually beneficial.

Know your worth, and don’t settle for less.

OPINION

GAVIN FISHER

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Journalism instructor Ethan Baron oversees The Voice. Email him at ebaron@langara.be.ca

Interfaith requires effort

e Langara Muslim Student Association and the Jewish Student Association had a hot date back in early February,

but unless they get serious I don’t see this relationship going any- where.

The two groups have been hanging out weekly since November to discuss school, politics, current events and whatever else comes up, which is fantastic. But even they admit those meetings are mostly about food.

They tried to really get down to business in February with an official interfaith event which organizer Rabbi Philip Bregman compared to a first date.

The thing about most first dates, at least the ones I’ve been on, is that the conversation sucks. It’s gener- ally superficial and doesn’t reveal

much about the participants’ true character.

First dates are necessary; all relationships have to start some- where. They have to get through the “tell-me-about-yourself” phase before the conversation gets real.

The Langara MSA and the JSA need to develop the conversation to get to the deeper issues that have created barriers between the two groups for so long. It won’t be easy, but it may be revolutionary.

They are going to have to talk about war. They are going to have to talk about Israel, Palestine, stereo- types, racism and politics. They are going to have to invite the Christian clubs to the conversation, because dating exclusively doesn’t make sense right now. College is about experimenting.

It makes sense that the first date

was bit awkward,

but IT hope they Tr can get it A aru together for the

second and third, maybe even start seeing each other regularly with a

. 7 7 — rereccve OPINION tent ASHKELY everyone

involved for

getting this process started. It is so great to see students and commu- nity leaders taking positive steps to help the great Canadian multicul- tural experiment succeed.

I just hope the relationship doesn’t fizzle in its early stages, because it shows such promising signs of long-term potential.

Ahat

uy looks cool.

pus we could

Man, won'tthis dude. nextto me Stop Shaking

hang out Sometime... por cbr gonna

Larqat Confessions.

im tonight

Why so judgmental, Langara?

school’s saving grace, if more eople actually gave it a chance.

This Facebook page was created for people who think Langara is too anti-social and want to meet new friends.

Ninety-five people have liked it, but compare that to the 1,233 people who like Langara confes- sions (at press time).

The Facebook page Langara confessions is popular among students, but in case you live under a rock,

I angara Hangout could be this

OPINION

ASHLEY LEGASSIC

here’s what it is:

From the posts I’ve seen, it’s a page to remain anonymous while talking about the annoying girl in the back of your biology class, or the cute boy who sits beside you in English.

Some people take it a little too far, with posts like, “Stop shaking your leg in class. I can’t concentrate when I see you looking like you’re having a seizure in my peripheral vision.”

Or my personal favourite: “Some- one sat in my seat in class today. I was absolutely livid. I mean seri- ously, who does that?!”

These anti-social and rude comments make me upset that I go to such a judgmental school, and I find myself having anxiety about whether a rude post is about me.

The Langara Hangout page receives a maximum of four com- ments and 10 likes per post, showing that although people have joined the group, the vast majority aren't interested in actually hanging out or socializing with each other.

The creator of this group tried to organize a board game event, witha whopping six people accepting the invite.

So put more effort in, Langara. I guarantee if you try to socialize and join groups and events you'll meet friends and you won’t regret it.

To succeed in college it’s impor- tant to have friends in school. School friends can help each other with studying and assignments.

This school needs less judging and more socializing.

The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism department.

Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration.

We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. They may be edited for brevity. Names may be withheld in special cases, but your letter must include your name and phone number.

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EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE:

MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6

Gavin Fisher PAGE EDITORS

PAGE 1 Amy Jones PAGE 2 Bill Everitt

PAGE 3 Kendra Wong

PAGE 4 Tyler Hooper

PAGE 5 Jenny Peng

PAGE 7 Nadim Roberts

PAGE 8

Jesse Lam

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Tricia Lo Andrea Anthony

COPY EDITORS Nick Eagland Vanessa Szpurko

REPORTERS Karly Blats Megan Bobetsis Erin Boe

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