The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-09-18
THE STUDENT COOPERATIVE
PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY

on their own standards of adequacy
or inadequacy and knowledge or lack
of knowledge about diet, cooking,
cleanliness, budgeting, etc. They
were spending as low as $500 a
month for food. Total living budgets
averaged between SIS and $25 a
month but some were below the min
imum given above. Standards were
none too high.
Batchers Are Hard Workers
But often Cynical
They had little social life. They
couldn't afford it. Besides they were
too busy working for cash, school
work, and subsistence care to spare
the time for social life. Many prob
ably think that time for social life
doesn't pay-"it is a luxury" But
subsequent events proved the con-
trary even to the batchers. They
were poor, Woodworking young men
and women. They were ambitious
and self-sufficient. They wanted
college education and future. They
were loyal chiefly to themselves. They
were rugged individualists" taking
all they could get from the univer-
sity. They came, they worked, they
passed on and in many cases were
cynical, selfish and unduly competi-
tive. They received little training
and experience in the so-called nice
ties considered necessary by more adj
vantaged people. In most cases, they
were good students. In most cases,
they reflected all too plainly the cir
cumstances of their existence. The
Social Work Laboratory could see but
one answer to this problem of batch
ing students on the campus. 1t would
try to improve the situation.
Lab Offers to Sponsor Cooperative
When l told AL about the Lab and
its method of training students by |
giving them a chance to work on prof. |
ects for which there was much evil |
dent need, his interest and hope |
quickened. Perhaps the Lab might |
establish a project designed to help |
the patching students increase their
standard of living by buying collec-
lively and by trying to meet their
needs together. He was urged to
study the situation in more detail
and perhaps the Lab might be able
to do something about it. Frequent
talks followed land before several
weeks had passed, rough plan of
a otiOn was dnfinnd
Great Falls Girl Helps Project
The story of the S. G. A. involves
another student also possessing faith
IN the coop idea Constance Edwards
If Great Falls was year ahead of
Al Schmitz in school and was major
ng in the same department. Her :
chief interest was in social work.
rhe year before, she wrote long
heme in her course in elementary
on the subject of student !
,o-ops She also participated in a {
campus congress broadcast on the |
subject. Campus congress, another 6
project of the Lab is a radio forum :
or students and was established in
937, the Lab providing leadership for ,
t in January, 1888. This early ex-
helped to make her natural
for AL Schmitz. I arranged
meeting with them at the earliest
opportunity. From then on, the move
nent was beyond the talk stage. They :
worked like Trojans to make their :
opes come true. The establishment :
f the S. G. A. is their special con-
to the university. I think :
ew university students make as sig
ificant a contribution. =
tudent Leadership Traits Compared h
Connie and AL had opposite traits. v
ionnie was quick, logical spirited and @