"I think many interns would be happy if you paid them only a little money." Absolutely. As a college student, I would have been happy with a low wage; I didn't

"I think many interns would be happy if you paid them only a little money." Absolutely. As a college student, I would have been happy with a low wage; I didn't need to support myself with the internship income. But after working half the day somewhere, it would have been nice to have a few bucks for a meal, and made it feel less like slave labor. Mostly it would have been the symbolic value, though. The statement that "you're worth hiring, and we're better off for having you here."