Evening star., 1934-06-17
Apron-Overall Colleges
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two portable school houses, abandoned
by the local school trustees. 1t filled
the gap till a new building was COM
pleted, then became gym. Un-
slightly before with its paving-brick
veneer it could hold up its head on
any campus. Its day IS not done. 1t
is too small for permanent gym
nasium. Foresight has provided it
with extra-wide doors and concrete
subfloor, and when a real gymnasium
is built 1t will become stock judging
pavilion.
Students do all the common labor
on the Fairgrounds, work rooms and
dormitories. With consent Of trades
unions they have done a good deal Of
skilled and semi-skilled labor. They
recently completed a new athletic
field and running track. The site
had to be plowed, lowered at one end
and filled at the other, level with the
utmost care.
Blackburn sometimes meets emer-
gencies In ways that more dignifled
institutions might scorn. but when
dignity and substance conflict Black
burn bitches dignity. Once dormi-
tory space was urgently needed. Pres
ident Hudson secured a gift OF sew
eral old Pullman cars. These were
taken off the trucks and set on the
ground; lower berths were removed
and uppers kept; section made a
student room" Such space was at
a premium as long as the cars re-
manned. The presidents ONCE oc-
cupied the former ladies' wash room.
A typical student at Blackburn this
year, If a choice is to be made, Is
Weber Hamilton. Six feet tall and
ITS pounds in weight. he was bound
to have an education, and came to
Blackburn to get 1t. The college
had never done its own bread baking,
due to lack of equipment and some
doubt as to the probable edibility of
the product Of inexperienced student
bakers. This year, however, the
equipment was installed and Hamil-
ton, oddly enough, was fascinated by
the idea of operating 1t. Every Mon
day, Wednesday and Friday he and
three helpers, Margaret Van Schoick,
Bernice johnson and Jimmy Andrews,
work long after other students have
gone to bed. There Is no question as
to the quality of their bread.
The girl who plans all the meals
has what some restaurant owners
would consider a full-time job. She
must not only plan attractive menus
for $50 students and some faculty
members. but also must plan them
so as to use every possible scrap OF
leftovers-for the average meal at
Blackburn, with any number Of help
ings, costs less than IL cents. This
girl does it and gets A grades in her
studies. Two girls who used to have
the job are now managing big cafe
terias in Philadelphia; one of them
between times continues college studies
in that city
When a student comes to Blackburn
he is supposed to have s225 to cover
the years expenses. About two
thirds of them are able to bring this
amount. Some cannot get 1t all in
advance, and they are allowed to pay
S25 a month. Considering that for
this sum-approximately 81 cents q
day-the student receives a steam
heated room with electric lights
recreational facilities, food and an
education. too. Blackburn seems to
have brought the cost of college to
something like the irreducible min
imum.
Some students do not pay the full
amount. Work managers spend far
more than the required Is hours a
week on their jobs and receive free
tuition. A few who cannot pay are
allowed to sign notes for the balance
Ten sophomores and 90 freshmen get
scholarships ranging from S25 to s10e
each. Occasionally payment il kind
is accepted. Last year a boy and
girl, brother and sister, brought six
rure-bred registered Jerseys which
were taken at valuation Of $3.50; 1t
was a good trade, because the COL
lege needed the Jerseys for agricul-
tural instruction.
The average amount paid in cash
by students last year was $3.50. The
actual cash cost Of the service rem
dered by the college a student was
s348. The difference, s168, was sup
piled from endowments and gifts.
Park College, located at Parkville,
Mo-, 8 miles west Of Kansas City,
accommodates about twice as many
students as Blackburn. follows about
the same self-help plan as the lat
ter institution, and Is prepared to
award the degree of bachelor of arts.
Although most of the manual labor Is
done by students, it is not under STU
dent supervision. At Thompson Com
mons, the central dining hall. where
all students take their meals, the
food is prepared and served by the
college girls, under the direction of a
dietician
Other girls serve as stenographers,
filing clerks, Office secretaries, library
and laboratory assistants, housekeep-
ers. etc. The college has greenhouses
and print shop, where the work is
done by students under the direction
OF superintendents. Milk and cream
are furnished by the student-operated
dairy. The boys also fire furnaces, act
as janitors, carpenters, plumbers and
do all types of campus work. Student
expenditures at Park are about halt
that at many institutions similarly
equipped.
Southwestern Junior College, To-
Gated at Keene, Tex, has developed a
plan to help students pay part or all
Of their expenses which differs from
that of Blackburn and Park. Here
the students are not engaged primarily
in campus work, but are more like in.
dustrial employees on the side. The
college has a planning mill. printing
press, broom factory, pecan shellery
bag factory, garage and general serv-
ice plant, as well as a farm, dairy
laundry. light plant and bookstore
Products are sold to the public on 8
non-profit basis. A students work Is
not allowed to interfere with his study
Many students carr. as much as two.
thirds of their expenses; a number pay
their entire way. The plan is some.
what reminiscent of Tuskegee, in Ala.
bama, and Berea, in Kentucky, both
developed to meet the needs Of par
ticular classes of students.
The so-called cooperative plar
which uac orioip O tad IN, tho Epo;r aor