On April 26, at the fourth weekly Dartmouth Student Government meeting of the spring term, Dartmouth Center for Career Design external partnerships and special projects director Joe Hayes provided senators with updates about the center’s initiatives and funding.
According to Hayes, the DCCD has received $30 million from endowed gifts in the past year and plans to begin spending $1.2 million per year on providing stipends to help students pursue unpaid internships. The Dartmouth previously reported the news, which was announced by College President Sian Leah Beilock on Jan. 12, in February.
“We don’t want cost to be a barrier to possibility that you may think,” Hayes said. “We don’t want you to think that you have to pursue an opportunity because it’s paid. We want you to be curious.”
Currently, students can receive up to a $6,500 stipend for the duration of an unpaid internship, an increase from $5,000 during the 2024-2025 academic year, according to Hayes. About 83% of students who applied during the 2025-2026 academic terms were approved for funding, an increase from 52% the previous year, Hayes said. With the new endowment, stipend caps will be increased and more stipends will be provided than in previous years.
Hayes said the DCCD has doubled their staff to 22 people, adding career coaches trained to offer a “specific type of coaching methodology” focused on “life design plus motivational interviewing.”
Some coaches have expertise aligned to specific fields, such as arts and media, business, government and social justice, according to Hayes.
“These coaches have expert level expertise to support you [and] to help you figure out what it is that you want to do and truly how to get there [and] how to position yourself for success in that area,” Hayes said.
General senator Isla Walker ’29 said that despite the DCCD’s stipends, low-income students will continue to face a financial “barrier” preventing them from completing unpaid internships. Walker said that in order to enter unpaid internships, low-income students will need a full “wage replacement” allowing them to earn equivalent to a paid internship.
“I’d like to emphasize, even if you can’t change [the stipend policy] now, [that] having that many hours dedicated to an internship that’s not paying … is a barrier to doing the internship itself because that’s lost income that students could be making otherwise,” Walker said.
Following Hayes’s presentation, the session opened up for senator questions about DCCD services. General senator Julia Zichy ’27 asked whether the DCCD is offering visa support for international students, adding that she believes many international students feel “pigeon-holed” into finance or consulting jobs because those companies are more likely to sponsor work visas.
Hayes explained that the DCCD uses Interstride, a platform that helps students find international student-friendly jobs and internships in the U.S. and around the world. DCCD is also working to establish more initiatives and opportunities to help international students.
“One of the initiatives that we have on our horizon is [creating] more opportunities, be it at corporations in different countries, that allow [visa] sponsorship,” Hayes said.
Representative Vani Miglani ’28 shared student concerns about the lack of availability of financial aid for on-campus housing to students who participate in research or internship opportunities in Hanover during their off-terms. Hayes replied that there are “certain rules and policies” about housing at the College that make it difficult for the DCCD to provide students with on-campus housing during off-terms.
After Hayes’s presentation, representative Ines Charles ’29 proposed sending a survey to students to solicit feedback that will be used by the College’s Residential Operations Office for “common room updates,” including suggestions for what new furniture should be added and to what locations. This proposal was passed by unanimous consent and will be sent to students this week.
North Park senator Issa Allison ’29 proposed sending an email announcement to students about a WiFi expansion project jointly funded by Information, Technology and Consulting — an office of the College — and DSG. The project will offer WiFi access in the Hanover downtown area, the Dartmouth Outing Club House and Pine Park. The email proposal was passed with unanimous consent.
DSG Senate meetings are held weekly on Sundays at 7 p.m. in Collis 101 and are open to all students.
Kailyn Holty ’29 is a news reporter from Redwood City, Calif., and is majoring in economics and quantitative social science.
