Student jobs: Real work? Or money to loaf?

WINONA, Minn., Aug.11, 2001 -- Joanne Anderson stands behind a tall wooden counter in the Winona State University student center, handing out paychecks to anxiously waiting students. She sorts through the checks and, one by one, finds one for everyone. They leave. Then Anderson, herself on the student payroll, sits down and does homework until someone comes by and wants to check out equipment to play pool. She gets up, finds the equipment, and returns to her homework.

EXPANDED COVERAGE Reporter: Kate Schott Higher-ed isn't free. Not even cheap. Tuition at Winona State cost a Minnesota resident $2,740 last year, non-residents $6,110. Fees, books, room and board, and recreational money are extra. To offset expenses, students can apply for several types of financial aid, such as scholarships, loans, grants and work-study jobs. They can also seek a job on campus through the student helper program, which not part of the need-based work-study program.

Joanne Anderson enjoys her job: She usually gets the hours she wants and gets to hang out with "great co-workers." The job isnÕt that strenuous and she has time to do homework. Anderson is among 1,000 students who work in some capacity for Winona State. Are these cushy jobs or what? Winona State spent $2,367,976 last year for student workers. Is the university gets the taxpayers' money's worth? Nobody can say for sure. The university doesn't have a comprehensive evaluation of student employees either in the need-based work-study proram or those students on the regular payroll. The university's financial aid director, Greg Peterson, said that federal regulation require financial aid programs to be audited annually. The audit is a strict accounting review to check on payroll procedures. The audit looks at whether timesheets match the hours worked and the paychecks that are issued. The audit also verfiies that students with work-study jobs qualify for financial need. The audit, however, doesn't look at job performance or whether the university is getting its money's worth. Peterson said evaluations are spread out among students' supervisors with no further accountability. So the question remains: How many student workers have spare time on the taxpayer's dime to for chat-a-thons with friends, for computer games, for homework and for general thumb-twiddling? Peggy Welshons supervises all students who provide tech and laptop support for the university. She admits that her computer lab attendants are allowed to do homework if no one needs their help. As Welshons sees it, paying a student to supervise an empty lab is better than paying out money to replace equipment that could be stolen. At the library Sarah Mensink, an academic assistant, is free except when students come in for tutoring. Jon Niebuhr, a fitness center attendant, checks IDs as students come in. He also cleans exercise equipment and observes students for safety procedures. If no one is coming in, or if the equipment has already been cleaned, he chats the time away with co-workers. In the dorms, desk assistants are there to answer phones, check out equipment and greet people. If no one is there or they finish their work, the student workers check their e-mail or do homework. Shannon Welsh, who supervises desk assistants in her job assistant as director at the Sheehan dorm, believes that doing homework on the job is a perk for her student employees who are efficient and create free time on the job. Some supervisors even arrange for student helpers to do even less work, yet accumulate their usual work hours, during crush academic periods like finals week. Not all supervisers offer such latitudes Jackie Malay, who supervises 17 students in the bookstore, said her workers donÕt have time to stand around often. There is always something to be done, whether itÕs unpacking a new shipment of books or cleaning the store. Malay believes that since the government is paying them, student workers should be kept busy. She understands, though, that there are some jobs, such as computer lab attendants, who need to be there so equipment isnÕt stolen or damaged. Lori Flikki supervises 11 work-study students in admissions, all of whom are busy their whole shifts. "If it wasnÕt for the students, this office wouldnÕt function," she said. Flikki's students are too busy to do homework. Sometimes they even stay over breaks and work, she said. The term "work-study" is part of the probem. When the term came into usage it meant having a campus job to earn income to pay expenses. Some people have come to interpret it to mean a job that includes study time. Shirley Wheat, the history department secretary, who has two work-study students working under her, sees no reason why students shouldnÕt be allowed to do their homework. The work they are assigned comes first but if itÕs done then they can do homework. "ThatÕs why it's called work-study," she said. "TheyÕre supposed to study after they work." At its extreme, the revisionist definition of "work-study" has perverted the concept so "study" is ahead of "work." Everybody has at one time or another encountered a student worker who snarled at being interrupted doing homework on the job. To be sure, not all students have time to do homework or tend to any of many diversions. Julie Hawker, who works in the Media Services office, rarely has time to do homework. Between taking orders, delivering equipment, making new student IDs or assisting students, she is usually busy. "You always think you have more time to do homework but something always comes up," she said. Jocelyn Starkey, a student assistant in the registrarÕs office, doesnÕt have time to do homework either. She is kept busy filing and answering phones. If she finishes one task, there is almost always something else to be done, she said. And if there isn't, however, she can leave early. Considering the uneven expectations of supervisors and also that many student workers, although not all, have time to loaf, is reform in order? Should the university institute formal accountability? Uniform evaluation standards are a possibility. In the registrar's office, though, Jocelyn Starkey says her experience as a student worker is that the system works well now. "For my job, all I do is file," she said. "If I misfile something, they just tell me. My evaluation is on-going. I donÕt know that a formal evaluation is the best way to be evaluated." Some supervisors already do formal evaluations. Assistant dorm directors give each student employee a mid-year evaluation to tell them how they are doing. Those evaluations, however, are idiosyncratic in that they reflect the expectations of individual supervisors -- hardly any kind of institutional accountability on how well the public's money is being spent.