*This petition will be sent to UMB School of Social Work*

The Social Work field needs more workers, especially during these tough times with the pandemic. In order to become a Licensed Social Worker, one needs to attend graduate school. A significant aspect of the graduate program is the "field experience." Not only do the students not get paid for their time and work for free, but they PAY to work for free. Most individuals are not privileged enough to be able to work for free WHILE having a job as well. Social Work abides by a code of ethics, but this is not ethical in the least. In fact, there are many research articles that portray the ethics of unpaid internships. The point is, if you want more social workers, make the field more accessible to those who want to work in this field. Most individuals cannot afford to pay for school, pay to work for free, pay for their child care (if need be), all while attending classes. Not only is all of this nearly impossible, it has a significant negative impact on mental health, which is something that this field is supposed to care about. In order to decrease the negative impacts of stress, it is important to compensate these students for the time they are working. The advanced year of graduate school requires a 24 hour per week internship while taking classes. Is this manageable with a full time job, that is needed for survival, as well? Absolutely not.