Due to the current state of the country, it will be extremely helpful and understanding of UTD JSOM to remove the internship requirement for undergrad students graduating in the Fall 2020. COVID-19 has impacted several industries in an enormous way and there is a tremendously large decrease in internship opportunities. This situation is extremely unpredictable and there is already an immense amount of pressure on everyones shoulders, that this requirement is not practical. Safety wise, the cases for COVID-19 continue to increase and students would be at risk of catching it and potentially passing it around to other students and staff once the semester starts. Some students are more susceptible to contact the virus due to an underlying condition. Overall the internship requirement is not appropriate given the condition that businesses are in right now. 

We hope you will consider the best interests of your students. We understand why this requirement was initially installed. Internships are an important step for college students; however, no one could have predicted what was to come when this started.