A Job-Seekers' Market

This week 400 undergraduate men received letters saying that they were now eligible for work study jobs because Harvard's undergraduate program is $250,000 richer. Women may get similar letters in February, but they may not.

Harvard has $250,000 left over from the year's $500,000 graduate students' work study program, which it transferred to the undergraduates. This enables the Colleges to bring the total number of men on work study to over 800, Lawrence E. Maguire '58, director of student employment, said this week.

The extra jobs are possible this year because Harvard's original work study grant in the fall was over $1 million, more than double last year's grant. This increase enabled Harvard to funds its biggest graduate work study program ever.

Graduate students, however, did not show up to take the jobs in the numbers administrators expected, so the excess funds can now go to undergraduates.

Students whose parents contribute up to $2000 to their college costs--but who were not eligible for work study jobs under the old parental contribution level of $750--can now consult the numerous work study openings in the Students Employment Office.

Of course, a Harvard work study program only covers men. Women get their jobs with funds from Radcliffe, and Radcliffe did not get a windfall of extra cash.

Radcliffe has applied for a supplementary $150,000 grant, but when it comes in February--if it comes at all--it probably won't be that much, Maguire said.

But anything will help the Radcliffe work study programs, which currently funds only 80 students whose parents contribute nothing to their college costs.

Unlike conditions in the rest of the job market, there have been more jobs than candidates for the work study program this year. Employers seem to like paying only 20 per cent of a student's salary, and letting the government pay the rest.