Clarification: An earlier draft of this story reported that 200 fewer students attended the Internship Fair on Tuesday than last year. That number came from an early estimate before the event ended. The story has been amended to reflect the final attendance.

Fewer students turned out for the Internship Fair Tuesday than did last year.

Every semester, NIU hosts an Internship Fair to pair students with businesses that need interns. Brandon Lagana, director of Career Services strategic planning and analysis, said about 860 students attended the Internship Fair this year. Last year, 927 attended. The falling numbers are at odds with NIU President Doug Baker’s goal of pairing more students with internships; at his November inauguration, Baker said internships would be a “critical component” as NIU goes forward.

Despite the falling numbers, attendees still saw benefits to the fair.

“These companies are investing money into these students. They’re not just aiming at juniors, sophomores and seniors, but the whole Huskie community,” Lagana said. “There are a lot of companies here that want to help students, not just offer them internships, but experiences that will benefit them later on.”

Lagana said 103 employers attended the fair. Last year, about 90 businesses were at the fair, according to a Feb. 20, 2013, Northern Star article.

Alumna Charlotte Eltoft, who previously interned for McDonald’s and was representing the company at the Internship Fair, said McDonald’s looks for student interns regardless of their majors.

“We’ve been here for a couple years and it’s a great opportunity to offer students experiences that they will benefit from,” Eltoft said. “We tend to offer students managing internships.”

Dominique King, Jewel-Osco store manager trainee, said the business offers internships regardless of students’ majors, as well.

“We try and offer internships that students want and to experience,” King said. “Right now we’re providing a supply chain internship to help improve students’ managing skills.”

Students aren’t the only ones attending the fair, as volunteers from throughout the NIU community showed up to help.

“This is my second day volunteering here and I want to say it’s a very good experience,” said Sampath Adepu, freshman computer science major. “It’s great to come and see what the companies here have to offer. It’s great information for any student.”

Asha Gogineni, graduate computer science student, said she came to the fair to find an internship to coincide with her major.

“It’s hard to look for a job with my major, but the fair helps a lot; not only for my major, but it gives me a wide opportunity to meet new people and learn new things,” Gogineni said.

Tyler Rodriguez, junior electrical engineer major, said the fair helped him connect with employers who could help him gain experience.

“I’m trying to look for a internship with my major,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of the jobs I want require experience, and that’s why I’m here, to get some of it.”