Summertime, And the livin' is easy? Summer lovin', Had me a blast?Not so much for those who plan to become part of the growing number of college students who take on unpaid internships. According to a 2008 study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 50 percent of college students graduate having an internship at one point during their college career. And that's quite understandable considering that, according to a separate NACE study reported by the Washington Times, "experience from an internship-whether at their workplace or elsewhere-was the 'primary' reason for hiring a new worker."

In a strictly theoretical sense, the internship is a symbiotic relationship between intern and industry. The intern is afforded a glimpse into a world he or she may one day choose to enter, and the industry has the chance to inspire, scout out and scoop up young talents. Too often, though, the reality of internships ends up being as close to "internship theory" as the farthest Starbucks is from the office. The intern is afforded an opportunity to go unpaid for three months and make copies, answer phones and mail letters, while the industry has the chance to get these essential-but menial-tasks done for free.

And the truth is, for Brandeis students, internships are especially integral if we want to limit our post-grad Odyssey Years.

What choice do we have? Yes, some programs and departments have been inching toward a "pre-professional" awareness. But these movements are often stilted and jammed into the ideals of a liberal arts education, damaging both the school's ideals and the efforts of those trying to bring a sensitivity to post-grad anxiety. At least from personal experience and numerous anecdotes, it seems clear that the University's party line on vocation's relationship with education is that there isn't one. Usually citing the University's liberal arts philosophy, Brandeis' academics seem intended to inform life in general, skipping over the couple of years after commencement. This is nothing more than a cop-out.

Now, Brandeis does not leave its students entirely alone. I would be remiss not to mention the Hiatt Career Center and its extensive and (mostly) well-oiled support system for students with the initiative to start the career search from within the Brandeis Bubble.

But internship-wise, the support system ceases once the summer starts. How do we know if we are being treated fairly? Legally speaking, according to an Aug. 2 article in The New York Times, internships must satisfy six federal criteria in order for it to qualify as unpaid: "Among those criteria are that the internship should be similar to the training given in a vocational school or academic institution, that the intern does not displace regular paid workers and that the employer 'derives no immediate advantage' from the intern's activities-in other words, it's largely a benevolent contribution to the intern."

According to an April 7 article in the Washington Times, "Interns-the vast majority of whom are unpaid-do not enjoy federal legal protections against sexual harassment and discrimination." (Anyone remember White House intern Monica Lewinsky?)

According to The New York Times, "Many regulators say that violations are widespread, but that it is unusually hard to mount a major enforcement effort because interns are often afraid to file complaints. Many fear they will become known as troublemakers in their chosen field, endangering their chances with a potential future employer." Some states such as Oregon and California have investigated some forms of misuse and underpayment, but where are Brandeis students-forced to find internships in order to compliment the University's curriculum-to turn in instances of misuse or abuse?

At the moment, the answer is nowhere (and if it is somewhere, it's an extremely well-kept secret). But this can be fixed easily.

Although my highlighting of intern abuse may suggest otherwise, last summer I had a fantastic internship at Dan Rather Reports that was both hands-on and free of sexual harassment.

Contributing to the success of my internship was an internship evaluation course I took through the Journalism department. The course met weekly via Skype chat and acted as a bragging opportunity for some and a therapy session for others. Led by Prof. Maura Farrelly (JOUR)-a journalist herself-we all received advice and context to help us make the most out of our experience.

Something like this should be compulsory for anyone in an internship for the first time. The only sick thing about the class was the fact that we had to enroll in Brandeis summer school and pay to receive the credits (which I don't really need), resulting in my incurring a loss of over $2,000 for an unpaid internship. A system like this (minus the cost) should be part of Hiatt services or part of the academic curriculum.

The existence of the extensive services offered by the Hiatt Career Center seems to act as a way for advisers, professors and administrators to feel absolved from offering serious thought and consideration to profession-related anxieties.

It shouldn't.