USAC proposes adding student representative to Career Center committee
By Helen Immerso
Jan. 26, 2016 8:16 a.m.
The undergraduate student government president proposed adding a student representative onto a UCLA Career Center internship committee to expand undergraduate job opportunities.
Council members will vote Tuesday to approve a bylaw change that would create this new position.
Heather Rosen, president of the Undergraduate Students Association Council, said she wants to create the position to work more closely with the Career Center. Rosen added she thinks the Career Center has a limited staff, and thinks a student representative can better inform students about opportunities.
Chris Howell, industry relations manager for the Career Center, said the center has an internship team that aims to promote internship opportunities through BruinView, an online Career Center service for UCLA students and some alumni. The center also hosts programs that aim to connect students with future employers.
Howell said he would like to work more with the student government, even if the representative position is not created. He added his team is currently encouraging more employers to hire international students, who have less time to find jobs before their visas expire.
Rosen said the student representative would also collaborate with other organizations that offer internships, such as the James West Alumni Center and the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars, for larger networking events with the Career Center. She added the undergraduate representative will also serve as a connection between students and potential employers.
Rosen said she thinks UCLA students do not have enough access to research internships, and opportunities for South Campus students are limited. She added she hopes the representative can help diversify the types of internships students are aware of.
Carolina Fuentes, a third-year biochemistry student, said she only found out about an internship research program because the program reached out to students via email. She added she thinks a representative could help share information about these internships, and more students would be able to apply.
If USAC approves the position, council members will begin to accept applications for the position, Rosen said.
