Working and Playing

In high school, many Harvard students found they could commit themselves to a variety of extracurricular reponsibilities and still hold down a part-time job if they had to. Once they get here, however, they discover a variety of new factors that generally alter the way they spend their time. In the first place, school is much more demanding. And it costs much more, so that three quarters of the student body gets some kind of job. Finally, the extracurriculars tend to be more intense.

As a result, undergraduates are faced with some tough choices--and in many cases, they choose to try and do everything anyway, usually to the detriment of their sleeping habits. In the past three months, 2851 undergraduates on the university payroll have earned more than a million dollars. By June, the number of students employed by Harvard will have increased to 3715. Many of those student also work on outside activities, but the leadership of several extracurriculars, especially the more time-consuming varieties, tend to have working students underrepresented.

Director of the Student Employment Office Martha H. Homer says that she believes there are plenty of activities on campus that students can participate in while working. "A job often encourage students to be more organized and efficient." Furthermore, campus employers tend to be very flexible when it comes to accommodating students' schedules. Because work-study allows employers to pay less money, there is a greater range of interesting jobs available, says Homer.

"It's true I don't have a lot of flexibility in my schedule," says Stephanie M. Oana '87, who serves as both the Classical Music Director and the Research Director of WHRB and ad design coordinator of the campus weekly The Independent in addition to working 10 hours a week at the Financial Aid Office.

"Things are hectic but I've become conscious of my time limits," Oana says. "All these experiences in different ways have taught me to be more adult."

Of the seven people on WHRB's Administrative Board, two also have part-time jobs.

Statistics are unavailable on whether students who work are more likely to join productions or publications, the two types of organization on campus that appear to be particularly intense.

Some Resentment

Matthew R. Haynes '85-'86, who works 10 to 15 hours a week at Dunster House dining hall and produced Three Sisters at the Loeb Ex this fall, says that sometimes he resents work because it takes up time as well as energy. But "in general working makes me more productive mentally. Dining hall is so different from everything else I'm doing that it doesn't compete with other things."

Some students feel that working precludes involvement in most campus organizations. "I wanted to do The Crimson, says DeeAnn Brewer '89, "but having to spend four hours in the Union three nights a week effectively cuts out anything that requires so great a time commitment."

Former business manager Joan H. M. Hsiao '86 says "We're predominantly wealthy Jews from New York and we hurt in terms of not having a very diverse group. It's really a sad factor."

"People can still join activities but their level of participation is severely restricted," says RUS vice president Cecilia V. Estolano '87, who works 10 to 15 hours a week at Houghton Library and also plays rugby.

"RUS is great because it meets at night. I guess you could say I've chosen things by my ability to join them. My options are limited because I need money for tuition," says Estolano. "Academics come first, of course, but sometimes I've had to arrange section times around my work schedule."

One student who works for SEO, Kristen A. Gasser '87, says "A lot of people come here having been very active in high school; it's part of what got us in in the first place. But once here people learn that they must narrow the field to one or two commitments."

Gasser is a member of On Thin Ice, the improvisational group, and says "I'm not incredibly organized but I find that the busier I am the more I get done. It's the pressure of having a finite number of hours to accomplish a task."

William T. McCrady '87, a singer with the Krokodiloes who spends 10 hours a week on dorm crew, says, "I'm the type of person who, if I didn't have something to do, wouldn't be studying anyway. Procrastination has been replaced by work and sleep has become the last priority."

No Free Time

The biggest problem with spending 10 hours a week on dorm crew as well as having a time consuming position in the Harvard National Model United Nations is having "no free time to sit down and read a newspaper," says Ellen M. Knickle '87, director of delegate services for HNMUN. "I have no idea what's going on in the real world and I'm a gov major--I'm supposed to know!"

While Larisa Wright '87, the secretary general of HNMUN, holds down an off-campus job, none of her three undersecretary generals are employed.

There are 11 students on The Independent's last executive board. Former president David E. Yarowsky '87, who is a teaching fellow, and just two others work elsewhere as well.

Some students who feel they are particularly lucky are able to combine money-making with worthwhile activity. The two most common examples of this approach are Harvard Student Agencies, Inc. (HSA), a student-run business that pays wages, and Phillips Brooks House, which offers work-study pay to some students doing good in the surrounding community.

One such example is Andrea Silbert '86, president of Harvard Student Agencies, Inc.

"I've gained important business experience and gotten paid for it. Most people here are on some sort of financial aid so they know the importance of earning tuition," HSA President Andrea Silbert '86 says. "It's a real go-getter atmosphere. Learning to deal with other people professionally and handle various crises has given me a taste of the real world."

About 1300 students work for HSA, making it the third largest employer on campus. Silbert, who is also a varsity football cheerleader, says that HSA managers understand the press of critical dates and time periods in their employees' lives because they themselves are used to having a huge extracurricular commitment.

Phillips Brooks House Association (PBH) is another organization in which students are given the opportunity to combine their interests with the need to pay expenses. Several years ago, PBH received permission from the University to use funds from the College Work-Study Program for socially useful tasks.

Graduate Secretary of PBH Greg A. Johnson '72 says students are hired for menial and clerical duties around the House and as counselors in summer camps and tutors in after-school programs such as Keylatch and Mission Hill. There are now 26 work-study students employed in a variety of positions ranging from staff assistants and fund raisers to directors and supervisers.

Sara L. Cazares '86 tutors young girls from a Chicano working-class neighborhood four days a week. "The stipend allows people from similar backgrounds to provide role models for kids from the projects. As a Latino, I can really relate to them and their problems," she says.

"I feel I benefit almost as much as the kids from this type of program because I'm making money to pay my term bills while giving something positive to the community," says Cazares.