College Projects for Aiding Students. Bulletin, 1938, No. 9

The depression of the past few years led colleges and universities to seek new ways in which to assist their financially needy students. In January 1937 the Office of Education requested all colleges and universities to send it descriptions of the projects they had devised. The responses to this request indicated a very cooperative spirit on the part of the institutions, but many of the projects they described did not differ materially from those commonly employed to help needy students. A few of them, however, were of such nature as to merit publication, and from these have been selected some of the largest and most unusual for description in four parts in this bulletin: (1) Money-earning opportunities provided by the college or university identifies projects operated by higher education institutions in factories and college printing presses, various other and special projects, drives to stimulate student employment by local businesses, and student employment at Yale University; (2) Money earning opportunities devised by students that are encouraged and aided by the institutions, such as student agencies that supply services or sell commodities to other students, student-initiated projects such as setting up a beauty parlor through the student government association, and student-operated employment bureaus that reach out to local businesses to identify opportunities; (3) Projects to reduce the cost of student living, including cooperative housing projects devised by state-controlled and privately-controlled institutions, cooperative dining clubs, cooperative housing projects devised by students, and other means to reduce the cost of student living provided by the institutions; and (4) Self-help colleges that aim to be as nearly self-sustaining as possible, with descriptions of the labor programs at ten of these institutions. The conclusion contrasts current activities with the practices of earlier years, highlights recent changes at the institutional and Federal levels, and discusses the educational significance of work projects and of cooperative living arrangements for college students. (Contains 1 footnote.) [Best copy available has been provided.]