STU strike caused problems for internships

By Ryan Ross

Some St. Thomas University students had their internships cancelled during the recent faculty strike, says the program’s field education coordinator.
Sandra DeVink, an assistant professor, arranged work placements for the 27 social work students doing their internships.
DeVink said some placements were in unionized workplaces and several supervisors considered the internships as crossing the picket line.
“I was looking at a way to work with that without pulling all the students out of placements.”
The faculty association’s contract expired June 30, 2007 and a lockout went into effect Dec. 27.
The strike led to the cancellation of seven out of 27 social work placements.
Both sides have since agreed to binding arbitration and classes resumed Feb. 5.
The issue with the social work job placements arose when one student’s placement at a hospital was suspended, DeVink said.
She said that was when a student complained.
Students were given several options to make up for the lost time, such as researching the role of unions, watching videos related to their field and walking the picket line with professors, DeVink said.
“We talked about it with the student that was suspended in the beginning.”
She said the student wanted to do her placement in that location and was willing to wait for the strike to end.
The student was also given the opportunity to sit in on a court case going on at the time and DeVink said she advocated for them to take the student back if she did research about unions.
“She was pleased about that.”
John Lane, a Holland College faculty union representative whose union is in contract talks, said he didn’t know his own union’s position with regard to internships.
“There’s no way in my heart I could ask a student to cross the picket line.”
Most students at Holland College are required to complete an internship and Lane said students have to do what is necessary to graduate.
“You sure don’t want them to have not completed at the earliest possible date.”