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Why was work important?
Why did students work, and why is work still important today? During the Saints’ Rest period (1857-1876), students were required to work for about three hours during the day at various places on the campus like the fields, the woods, and the barns.
Like today, experience and education level often helped on the job. Students at MAC were assigned jobs according to class standing and their preferred field. Seniors often took assistantships or internships with professors. Wages from working at MAC (ranging from three to eight cents per hour) went towards paying room and board; tuition was free when the college opened. Extra money could go towards other activities and purchases.
Today for MSU students, work is optional, but encouraged. Some students choose to work off-campus, but many work at places on campus, including in research facilities, offices, or in dorms and cafeterias. Many academic programs at MSU require students to complete field work or an internship in order to graduate from the program. This work helps to prepare students for their future careers. Students use whatever resources they can to pay for tuition and housing, whether it be on or off campus jobs, loans, scholarships, or grants. The federal minimum wage now stands at $5.15 per hour, but the starting wage for students for most campus jobs is over $6 per hour. It still is pretty hard for most students to make ends meet. How did students work at MAC? |
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