Students at Work
The Office of Student Employment can be found on the fourth floor of Yost Hall. Today, students can work for the university in numerous capacities, from supplementary instruction leaders to campus security to being the person who makes sure you don't sneak into Veale without swiping your ID first. The types of work available to students are diverse, but the key to all of them is that they are all fairly compatible with a student lifestyle, in that they are service oriented. This stems from the philosophy of being a student first and foremost. One should not exhaust a student with physical labor such that schoolwork may suffer.
Oddly enough, during mid-1800s the exact opposite approach was taken at the Western Reserve College.
During the 19th century, Puritanism had been left by the historic wayside, but elements of their religion and philosophy remained. In particular was their approach to education. It was purportedly dangerous to put the student through too much school, as it risked their physical and mental health. Insanity was a possible outcome.
It is important to note that this logic is not entirely unfounded, at least by 19th century standards. Dr. Benjamin Rush, who is perhaps best known for his participation in the Declaration of Independence, who cited increased occurrences of tuberculosis and gastrointestinal disorders in college students. Modern epidemiology tells us that keeping students cooped up in poorly ventilated, cramped houses with poor food and bad heating is a good way to spread diseases, but germ theory was still in its infancy at the time. Tuberculosis and gastrointestinal disease were both believed to be excised by physical exercise.
Now, today's students are required to have physical education courses, but the students of the 1830s through 1850s were not prescribed rock climbing or CPR. Instead, students were taught a trade in addition to their typical seminary studies. These trades focused around manufacturing items such as wagons, wheelbarrows, and, of all things, coffins. The college, being ever practical, decided that this could also serve as a source of revenue, and published a catalog. They even went so far as to buy an early and very expensive steam engine from Pittsburgh that nearly bankrupted the college. Students who reached the level of apprentice could even be paid for their duties and be relieved of room and board fees.
It is interesting to see that students of one era are very much like students of another era. In typical student fashion, they were resistant to such change that made them do distasteful work. They often pleaded illness or simply never showed up for the required three hours a day of labor. If they did show up, students were late from oversleeping but very strict about going to their morning prayers.
From the program's beginning in 1831, the labor met difficulties in meeting orders. Items ordered were frequently late or never showed up and were below standard quality. The foremen hired to oversee these workshops had a turnover rate of nearly one a year, some not lasting even that long. The steam engine that cost the university would not work at first, and even when it was fixed it was frequently sabotaged by students to stop work. When the shop finally burned down in 1844, there was little impulse to get it up running again and the program died there.
All universities have looked at student output as a possible source of revenue. Arguably that remains true today, with student research being harnessed towards grants and patents. But the use of labor and its importance compared to school studies has forever changed.
By Greg Wu (gregory dot wu at case dot edu)
Sources: Case Western Reserve: A History, by C.H. Cramer
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