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PLEASE SEE BELOW AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM MS. HAWKS REGARDING SUMMER 2020 INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENTS:

Dear Hospitality Students,

 

We are so proud of you for completing this semester under such difficult circumstances! Give yourselves high praise!

 

As you are aware, the hospitality industry has been the hardest hit by issues related to the Coronavirus. We hope you and your families are safe as you shelter in place. Because we know that these are challenging times beyond anyone’s control, The School of Hospitality Business has modified internship requirements for summer 2020. When the issues that we face are diminished, we will return to normal operating procedures regarding  internship requirements. In the meantime, for this summer, we expect all students to follow the modified internship guidelines below and be involved in the following activities.   

 

1. Remember to follow all COVID-19 state or government issued restrictions regarding working:  

       If a Hospitality Business student can secure an internship, they can work less than 400 hours and less than 10 weeks. 

 

2. Normally hospitality internships are paid, however, this summer Hospitality Business students can also work in non-paid work experiences.

 

3. Hospitality Business students who are international can complete two internships in their home country.

 

4. What should I do if my offer was rescinded?

Ask your hiring manager if you can stay in touch and if later during the summer the company reopens or has a short-term work opportunity or virtual task, ask them to keep you in mind for working. Remember, you can work reduced hours and reduced time or virtual or a combination of all three!

 

5. What should I do if I cannot complete an internship and I am NOT working ?

Keep learning and growing, perfect a new skill, learn new technology, volunteer, take a short class, or participate in a training workshop. Each day think of the following question if a recruiter should ask … “What did you do for professional development during the summer of COVID -19?”. May your answer be ... “Let me tell you all the ways I have been engaged”!

 

There are a number of options we want you to pursue!

A.      A short term or long term virtual or remote internship where a company designs a project, a task, or asks you to conduct research.

B.      A short-term virtual internship where a faculty member designs a project or research topic for you to assist in completing or a 1 credit independent study with a faculty member. We will send opportunities to the listserv and ask you to submit a resume for consideration.

C.       A short term combined virtual work experience and a short onsite visit to a company if permitted by officials.

D.      A short-term internship on site with a company that is less than 10 weeks or 400 hours, called a Micro internship. Again if the government permits it.

E.       An unpaid work experience in hospitality or related areas such as supermarkets, manufacturing, or service areas such as food delivery to the elderly or shut-ins or grocery store warehouses, just to name a few examples.

              F.   Hospitality Industry Informational Interviews

      To learn more about the hospitality industry, please conduct a phone or Zoom informational interview with a manager in a hospitality company.  

• Who do I ask? You can ask the manager who rescinded your offer, or you can use your Spartan Sponsor Mentor. You can also research companies in your area that interest you and find out more about them and how the business operates.

 

• What do I ask? Research the company first so you have a basic understanding of the company. Speak with staff members to learn more about their jobs, how they conduct them, what is important in their roles, how are jobs interrelated, are job roles in the company changing because of COVID-19? How will this affect the future? Anything else that will assist you in learning about the hospitality industry.

 

• What do I do with this information?  Write a one-page typed summary of your research and discussion; provide your name, the person you interviewed and what company they work for or what industry segment they worked in if they are no longer at that company.  The Deadline to send your paper is August 31, 2020. SIRC will send you a Google link to upload your paper.  

 

7. “SIRC SUMMER SERIES”

During the summer, SIRC will be offering a summer speakers series of Professional Development Programs (PDP) through zoom. We will host a variety of hospitality industry executives who will share more in depth about a specific industry such as events, food & beverage, casinos, clubs, real estate, and hotels just to name a few. We will also have a program to highlight and feature little known companies to help you become better acquainted with companies you do not know who provide great opportunities for internships and full-time jobs. We also hope to host “mini skills” workshops on things you would learn at an internship in terms of technology. We expect you to join us for as many Professional Development Programs as possible during the “SIRC Summer Series”. A full schedule will be sent soon! Attendance will be taken.

 

8. SIRC EMAILS

As SIRC secures Micro, Virtual, and Full-time internships as well as faculty/employer projects or research, we will send them to you through the SIRC listserve. We will collect resumes to send to faculty or employers. EMAIL everything to SIRC [log in to unmask]; label your document appropriately in the subject line of the email.

 

 

6. Hospitality Business students who are not able to complete a level one internship will still be allowed to take HB 307 Hospitality Human Resources without completing an internship.

 

7. For seniors graduating December 2020 or May 2021 only: if you are not able to complete a level 2 internship during summer 2020 you will still be able to take HB 489 Hospitality Business Strategy in order to make progress and graduate. 

 

8. GRADUATING SENIORS, YOU ARE  ALSO WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE IN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS, SIRC SUMMER SERIES, AND TO APPLY FOR JOBS ON THE LISTSERVE AND SIRC WEBSITE.

 

9. Freshman and Sophomores, participation in Summer 2020 activities do not waive completion of two required internships. However we will continue to monitor the situation and make changes as needed for your health and safety.  

 

We are excited about all the ways you will learn about the hospitality industry this summer! KEEP IN TOUCH WITH SIRC REGULARLY!!

 

HOSPITALITY STUDENTS REMEMBER:

Strength does not come from what you can do; it comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t… Nikki Rogers

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay calm, stay focused, stay patient, stay kind.  STAY HOSPITALITY STRONG!

 

MS COLLINS HAWKS, SIRC DIRECTOR

 

I am available to assist with all things by phone 517-353-9747 or zoom, or email [log in to unmask]