Tuesday, February 2, 1982
Eugene, Oregon
Oregon daily
Volume 83
Number 93
emerald
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Students walk across a lawn on the
University campus near Susan
Campbell Hall. The lawn wears a
sign asking its friends to help it
recover from a hard winter and
previous footsteps.
J
College work study takes a nose dive
By Ann Portal
O/Vw Emtrtld
Rumors drifting out of Washington, D C. hint that
College Work Study funds may be cut in half for the
1982-83 academic year, which would mean a sudden
drop in the number of students able to count on work
study as part of their financial aid
Robert Clodius, president of the National Associa
tion of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges,
reported two weeks ago that the Reagan administration
will propose on Feb 8 a 40 to 50-percent reduction in all
financial aid programs — including work study
That could really hurt the University, where more
than 1 800 students were awarded work study money
I-!-1
Poor turnout
will finish fair
This is the year that will either make or break
the University's annual career fair, which drew a
“disappointing" crowd last year.
The fair, which wilt be held in the EMU Ball
room from 8 a m to 3 p.m Wednesday, is "an
incredible amount of work." says Deborah Cher
eck, career development specialist with the ca
reer planning and placement service and the
fair’s coordinator She says she's unwilling to go
through alt the planning next year uniess she is
convinced the fair is something that reaches
students
This is our year to focus on the students,"
Chereck says "This year we've tried to blitz it in
the opposite direction. "
Representatives from businesses in 12 areas
win attend the fair, which includes a new event
this year - panel discussions at 10 a m, and it
a m. There also will be an open period from noon
to 3 p m. during which students can meet with
about 70 professionals to ask them specific
questions about their jobs or organizations
this year, according to Charlene Simpson, work study
coordinator for financial aid Every year since 1974, the
University's financial aid office has awarded work study
money to more than 1,500 students.
Employers of students with work study money must
pay only 20 percent of the students' salary. For exam
ple, a psychology professor can employ a student to
help in research for $4 an hour, but the professor pays
only $1 an hour
Eliminating nearly 900 student positions also could
cause a serious reduction in University services, which
have come to rely on student work study help more and
more during the past 10 years.
Jerry Moseley, associate provost for student af
fairs. says he supports work study positions because of
the dwindling employment opportunities for University
students in the community.
But Moseley says that he is "fearful that we do have
a vulnerable spot," because of the number of work
study students employed both on and off campus.
He says that when he first came to the University,
he was "shocked" to find work study students and
Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA)
workers “were the glue holding together the Universi
ty "
Now that CETA positions are gone, work study
students fill positions that the University otherwise
would have to do without, Moseley says.
When contacted last week, the directors of most
University services that depend heavily on work study
students said they hadn’t heard the rumor When told
about Clodius' predictions, most laughed nervously
"It would make a tremendous difference," says
Rosemary Batori, the University Library's business
manager The library employs more than 300 students
— 226 of them paid with work study funds
"There's no way we could keep open the hours we
are now," if work study funds are cut, Battori says.
University Librarian George Shipman agrees that
the library would be forced to close down "mighty
early." He says he has been saying for a year and a half
that the library is 30 to 40 classified positions short and
that it depends too much on work study labor
Work study students originally were meant to be
something of a "bonus” to employers, ones who were
hired above and beyond the normal workload, Shipman
says At the University, they are doing basic work in
L
J
Photos by Duane Schrag
Sylvia Rizo, a work study employee at the EMU Craft
Center, molds clay. Most of the craft center staff are
paid from work study funds.
some areas, which means "grief — real grief" if work
study money decreases, he says
At the EMU Craft Center, the entire staff is work
study, except the coordinator, two assistants and the
instructors.
“It probably would mean increased fees and less
hours," says Tom Urban, craft center director. "It would
hurt us drastically."
Ultimately, the cut would hurt students the most.
"Work study is neat because you can get a job that
has something to do with your major," says Sylvia Rizo,
who has worked as a work study student at the EMli
craft center since fall.