>As an intern, you are most likely a net-negative
I'm confused by this.
Why would I want to take an internship where I was considered a net-negative?
If the institution of learning that is placing these interns is slotting people into internships, and they are worth than useless -- net negatives, as you say -- where is that institution's accountability here?
Why would any intern walk into that situation? Why would a company take them on under those circumstances?
Sure, I would expect an intern to be very inexperienced, to need mentoring, to need training, but the idea is that I'd get free or nearly-free labor in exchange for some of this required mentoring and training... and potentially have some partially trained future employees in the pipeline.
It would be, I think, crazy to expect that interns walk in already completely hammered into the appropriately shaped pegs to slot into jobs.
I'd fire the person who fired the interns -- I mean, how much time and effort on the part of the people who arranged those internships, did that person waste by being a dick? How does it affect the department plans to get work done with these interns?
If the answer is "not at all," why the !@#$% do they take on interns? Some kind of tax break thing?
When I was an intern [sometime mumble mumble nineteen-eighty-mumble], I spent a year earning a tiny stipend and working crazy hours because I did tedious work that my organization wanted done but no one had time or inclination to do. I learned a lot, including how to work with people in my department, but I did not learn "I'm worthless and should never question authority because I'll be immediately fired."
And, p.s., I've worked with and supervised interns before in several different workplaces.