New-York tribune., 1911-11-26
STUDENTS EARN $4,000
Columbia Committee on Employ
ment Issues Report.
METHODS OF WIDE RANGE
One Man Lays Brick and Another
Acts as Subject for Pschyo-
logical Test.

Tho students of Columbia University
u.ho are working their way through col
ieee earned more than $4,000 during Ihe
last academic year. according 10 the re-
mort Of the Committee on Student hi'-
r,ovr1ent. which was made public yester-
Ssv The total earnings fan short OF ihe
amount reported a year ago, hut the COM
r,,,,ea exrlains this by the fact that only
- s.uderts on its lists were asked for
,opoyts this wear. whereas i'm other years
.ta o,tiro student body was asked for a
~eoord NJ its earnings The students tried
their hands al every form Of employment
Imaginable from acting as secretary OF a
national reform association down 10 ia\lnE
brick.
Nearly one-half Of the total earnings
were made during the summer vacation OF
1910. when the students earned 800" -
with the aid Of the committee and Szf'-
AS s1 without its aid. amounting in all 10
s29 1865. In the academic year from Oc-
tober /. 1910. 10 June I, 1911. the earnings
uere 143.9q2 90 and Of this amount the
committee directly obtained employment
which brought i'm returns Of $l69S3 oS Ihe
students in the graduate schools, who nave
the greatest amount Of time to devote 20
mart time employment, head the list oi the
amount Of money earned by students IN the
various university departments The totai
for this class Of students was Sl3'S5s 20
with tie aid Of the committee and Sl@'-
SEQ 2s without the assistance Of the conf
mittee.
The students in Columbia College have
the next largest total, with S6.525 81 with
the aid OF the committee and Sl9'52I 40
without its aid. The law school students
who tried their hand at outside employ
ment earned S14164 Sc, with So'S4' ~
credited 10 the committee The engineer
ing students we're not so fortunate as the
others and earned only $1.9oS 65 with the
committees aid. although they pulled up
in the work they found for themselves and
repcrted outside earnings of $6,5Ol so. The
Teachers College Barnard, medical and
architectural students did not earn nearly
as much as the others. their comolhed
total being less than $4,000.
Some Of the students found that the
task of earning ones expenses was not
fraught with as many difficulties as they
had imagined, one man. for instance, earn
Ing S2.74O in the course Of the academic
year. net counting what he earned in the
summer vacation. He WAS senior IN the
college and made his fabulous sum by
acting as press agent for an actress. tutor
ing and writing librettos. Another, senior
in teachers College. laid brick in his sum
,ner vacation and netted 1850, while a
senior IN the law school got job peddling
straw hats in his vacation and cleaned up
a total of s595. One second year law man
had fob with a downtown brokerage
Office and earned 1886 62 by selling stocks
on commission.
A student in philosophy waited on table
FOR his meals and S345. and acted as sub
feet in a psychological test, for which he
received $3.50 Another had a job as court
Interpreter that netted him $5O2, and $lS2
earned by tutoring sent his total up TO
$6s4.
In conclusion the report says;
The determining factor is in most cases
tie student himself II he has ability,
perseverance and energy he will be almost
certain, sooner or later 10 find employ
ment. II he is unsSilled, irresponsible or
unpresentable he will doubtless find II diff
fcult TO get along. The prospective stu
dent should never come TO the university
depending entirely or even largely upon
the assistance OF the committee, but should
be prepared to meet at least the expenses
OF the first half year-say $500. Usually
the student with the necessary qualities
and sufficient money in hand 10 tide him
over the rather hazardous beginning
period will be able 10 find employment. ]
suppose some students will always be
more or less dissatisfied because the COM
mittee finds II impossible or unwiSe TO give
them employment. Registration does not
guarantee work.