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College news, March 6, 1957
Bryn Mawr College student newspaper. Merged with Haverford News, News (Bryn Mawr College); Published weekly (except holidays) during academic year.
Bryn Mawr College (creator)
1957-03-06
serial
Weekly
6 pages
digitized microfilm
North and Central America--United States--Pennsylvania--Montgomery--Bryn Mawr
Vol. 43, No. 15
College news (Bryn Mawr College : 1914)--
https://tripod.brynmawr.edu/permalink/01TRI_INST/26mktb/alma991001620579...
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation.
BMC-News-vol43-no15
*
Wednesday, March 6, 1957
THE COLLEGE NEWS
Page Three.
Students Describe Their Varied Summer Job Experiences
Dalmer Tells of Scientific Summer:
lllustrating Hom Own Experiences
by Barbara Ann Palmer ’5
Summer jobs in the field of sci-
ence are not always easy to find.
Many industrial _ companies. are
hesistant to hire students who have
not completed their ‘junior’ year
in college; they do not want to
spend their time training individ-
uals only to have them leave after
three months and never return.
During the summer after one’s
junior year, however, jobs are
quite abundant; industry is now
willing to train a student with the
hope that after graduation she will
return as a permanent employee.
Last summer I worked in the Or-
ganic Chemistry’ Research Depart-
ment of Ciba Pharmaceutical Labs
in Summit, New Jersey as a lab-
oratory assistant. I found this pos-
ition very rewarding for many rea-
sons. The pay granted by the ma-
_jority of large industrial labs is
“quite good, ranging from a mini-
mum of $60.00 per week to as high
as $90.00. More important though
was the fact that the work was
interesting and not at all routine
(i.e., one girl on campus will con-
fess working in a lab for more
money, but her job was shaving
one guinea pig after another!).
I was trained in many new lab-
oratory techniques and, although
with the limited knowledge in
chemistry of an undergraduate I
could not do any individual —re-
search, I felt much pleasure as I
increased my knowledge of the
methods of pharmaceutical re-
search to the point of being of
value to the laboratory in which I
worked with a minimum of super-
vision.
Ciba Pharmaceutical Labs have
the policy of hiring for the summer
a number of girls from various,col-
leges (usually one from each).Till
last year no one from Bryn Mawr
had applied for a summer position
in- this fairly recently formed com-
pany. Thus, when I was interview-
ed by the field representatives
through the Chemistry Depart-
ment, I had a distinct advantage
because they wanted a representa-
tive from Bryn Mawr and also
because I lived close enough to
the laboratories so that transporta-
tion would be no problem. The
policy of hiring'a number of col-
lege students led to the oppor-
tunity of supplementing interest-
ing work with interesting associa-
tions.
The only disadvantage of this
position was the fact that an em-
ployee without a degree had to
join the Union, ipso facto—pay Un-
ion dues and punch a time clock at
8:15 every morning. But even\this
disadvantage was overshadowed by
the experience gained working in
one’s own field with people sharing
a mutual interest. This job also
gave the opportunity of discover-
ing chemistry was my major con-
cern—perhaps if I had not worked
at. Ciba this summer I would not
intend to enter graduate school in
the field of Organic Chemistry next,
September.
Lab, Office Yield
Financial Rewards
Office jobs have been the most
numerous for some time. This
year (1956) these 110 students
worked in banks, general business
offices, industrial, medical, political,
etc.; they were tellers, bookkeep-
ers, typists, clerks, receptionists,
and girl Fridays. In most cases,
they worked for the entire summer
or about three and a half months.
Camp and recreation positions
are readily available to interested
students. Camp directors have had
difficulty for some years in filling
counselor vacancies. The short
season and comparatively low: pay
have discouraged many“who might
otherwise enjoy an outdoor sum-
mer, Playground leaders and
swimming pool lifeguards usually
work a longer season and at better
pay.
Being a waitress in a hotel or
restaurant is usually considered
the most lucrative summer job, but,
this past year, a slow season at
most resorts, resulted in poor tips
and low pay. The average for 1956
waitresses—$357—-was below even
Continued on Page 4, Col. 1
Bureau Of Recommendations Compiles
Summer Employment Facts and Figures
REPORT OF SUMMER JOBS, 1956
The following 1956 job report has been compiled by the Bureau of
Recommendations. The Vocational
Committee did an efficient job this
year in getting fellow students to fill out the questionnaires asking
about summer activities, the result producing a better return than ever
ore. The percentage of undergraduates reporting paid summer jobs,
h ever, remains about the same and the probabilities are that most
aay of the others do not.
those ‘who work for pay always do return their questionnaires while
_The kinds of positions and work available remain much the same
ich year. The average amount earned in 1956 ($401), however, show-
a substantial increase over the 1955 figure of $335. Bryn Mawr also
es not find itself too far behind at least one man’s college which
ht be supposed to run a good deal higher.
only about $50 more a student than Bryn Mawr’s.
Bryn Mawr’s 1956 figures are as follows:
In, 1955, Yale’s figure
Realizing that. this is the
time for students to start
thinking about summer jobs,
the NEWS has asked five Bryn
Mawr students to write ac-
counts. of their summer jobs
in 1956. We are also publish-
ing a report on 1956 summer
experiences of Bryn Mawrters
compiled by the Bureau of
Recommendations and _ the
National Park Employees Work Hard
Also Play Hard In Montana Rockies
by Adrian Tinsley ’58
“I spent last summer in Montana
as a clerk in the gift shop of the
Many Glacier Hotel, Glacier Na-
tional Park. I can’t think of a nicer
Vocational Committee.
way to spend a summer.
Counseling In Harlem Day Camp
Was Useful Social Work Practice
by Mimi Machado ’57
This summer I worked for eight
weeks in a day camp run by a
community center in Harlem. The
job was fairly typical: I had a
group of 17 eight and nine year old
girls who came to the center every
day. We did the usual arts and
crafts and activities and went on
trips around New York City. One
_tunusual_.aspect..of the joh, however,
was that we were responsible for
planning the daily programs for
our respective groups. There were
no set activities and it was left to
us to entertain the children.
It was a rugged summer, but
fun and rewarding, and there were
other advantages as' well. I got my
job through The Summer Experi-
ence in Social Work, which I heard
about from our Bureau of Recom-
mendations. This group places its
members in the positions they de-
Joh As Traveling
Counselor Is Fun
by Lucy Wales ’59 «
When the train left Boston for
the West with only four of the ex-
pected five campers on board, I had
a feeling that my summer job
would be unusual. It was.
“My official position was that of
camp counselor, but the camp dif-
fered in many ways from most.
The 90 campers, of whom 19 were
girls between the ages of 12 and
18, were divided into four auton-
omous groups. Three of these fol-
lowed a rotating plan, camping in
various places around the Zuni
mountains in New Mexico, travel-
ling around in Colorado or Utah,
and using the base camp near Gal-
lup, N. M. for the last third of the
summer.
Life for the first two-thirds of
the summer was based on making
and breaking camp until the basic
routines were learned, at which
time many other activities became
predominant. These included every-
thing from hunting potsherds to
capturing a baby rattlesnake (later
pickled by one of the boys’ groups
to the consternation of all) and
participating in a rodeo and two
brandings, as well as visiting such
National Monuments as Mesa
Verde and the Great Sand Dunes.
I was introduced to the possibil-
sire and then tries to provide
them with the most comprehen-
sive idea of the profession of social
work possible in a short space of
time.
There were 50 of us in the group
and we had four day-long meet-
ings, during which we learned
about many of the different forms
=A
O£-—-gocial-
‘WOrks Case Workers;
group workers, researchers and gso-
ciologists talked to us. We visited
the Fordham, NYU and Columbia
Schools of Social Work. Among
other things, we were taken
through and told about a branch}.
of the Sesnvtnent of Welfare,
that part of the United Nations
concerned with international social
welfare and a “typical” settlement
house.
In short,.we were given a pretty
complete idea of the many kinds
of social work that exist, and I
feel that for anyone who is even
‘remotely considering the possibil-
ities of a career in social work, an
opportunity of this kind is invalu-
able, and a necessity.
Waitressing, Tiring
But Lucrative Work
by Debby Ham ’59
Among summer jobs for college
students waitressing is probably
the commonest, most arduous and
most variable from place to place.
Hotels and resorts are willing to
hire flocks of undergraduates every
summer because extra help is need-
ed at this season and because wait-
ressing needs ‘no special training.
For unskilled work, waitressing
is probably one of the most lucra-
tive and easily available summer
jobs. Salaries are generally low
but tips make up one-half to two-
thirds of a summer’s earnings. Al-
though reports vary widely, it is
possible to make as much as $800
or $900 a season and usual to
make at least $450. A very popu-
lous resort, where there is a fre-
quent turnover will ultimately pay
more than one where visitors re-
main for two or three weeks.
Privileged Society
|
Jobs in national parks are not
available through the Department
of the Interior, but are controlled
by private companies. In Glacier,
the Great Northern Railroad owns
and operates all the hotels “and
chalets. One must apply through
their offices and applications should
be in by the middle of so r=>
kinds of jobs available for colleg
girls in Glacier are typical of
those in all national parks. They
need a few people for front-office
jobs. (switchboard operators, cash-
iers, room clerks, gift shop clerks,
etc.), waitresses, chambermaids,
kitchen girls; laundry girls and so
on. The jobs run eight hours a
day, six days a week and they
all require hard work. Waitresses
are the most highly paid. With
tips, they average around $590 for
the summer. But,
paid,
possible to get during the first
summer. All other jobs pay around
$75-80 per month. Chambermaids
make about $30 per month extra
in tips.
course, included. At the end of the
summer, transportation home from
the park is provided by Great
Northern,
Hard work and low anaclan
sound rather discouraging. At the
same time, I wouldn’t trade last
summer for any summer in the
world. Many Glacier Hotel is right
at the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake.
Across the water “runs a ridge of
the Continental Divide. Rocky
Mountain peaks rise on all sides. In
the early morning, the snow on
the peaks is orange and purple
with the alpine glow; in the even-
ing, if you climb 300 feet
up Mount Alton, you can _ see
the sunset reflected in five glacier-
fed lakes. As a hotel employee, all
the facilities of the park are avail-
able to you.
Day-Off Occupations
The usual day-off occupations at
Glacier are hiking and hitchhiking.
Hikes range anywhere from five to
25 miles. Most of the. trails run
along the Continental Divide, and
you can see all of the park spread
out around you. Hiking there is an
amazing experience. Whether you
try to cover ground, or simply sit
and count the alpine flowers and
make friends with the mountain
goats, you won’t forget it.
Glacier ‘is only 20 miles from
the Canadian border, so you spend
many days off in Canada, buying
sweaters and skirts from Scotland
and the inevitable wool to knit the
inevitable ski sweater. People
avoiding - the Canadian — tourist
towns at the border can hitchhike
to Lethbridge, or even as far as
Calgary where the famous Rodeo
is held. Later in the summer, you'll
probably go to Browning, Montana,
the capital of the Indian Reserva-
being highly
altress jobs are almost im-:
Room and board is, of ©
Nurhber of Undergraduates Reporting ......ssssssesssrssssssssesseeessssseeseeeees 504 lities of this job when my brother, Hon. When sou #0 ts He! ‘
a i (81% of the student body at Bryn Mawr) | “la camper in one of the boys’ In most resorts the waitresses| boy movie nee you nie oh ail
‘With Paid Jobs (56% of those reporting) ....... eckscaieite S euaecvevesty 282 groups, returned~from—a—reunion,| > et—to—use—the—same—revreational, PSE SEAR SPL te PY ee
With Volunteer Jobs ..... 25}announcing that the “Turquoise| privileges asthe guests. Tennis| he Indians.
Valet Meaenaant Caine sssinesosesessssosencevagsascsseines.snesieditiosvotsossosnvesons 62 |Trail” for girls would operate the| courts, swimming pools and the|~ The management at Glacier is
Traveling .....cecssssssscsssrssssnssnsvenrssesseerserncensnnnsnenenssnsssonerasssonnsssnaanens, csneeeese 82 | following summer and might need ocean, with some restrictions, are| very nice to work for, as I suspect
No. Summer BSD Reported .. 53 |etaff. It did. After application, usually open to all the staff of ais the case in most national ‘parks.
|I found myself with a job about | resort. And the kids are a grand bunch
Total Earnings ae covted SES $112,735 . which I knew almost nothing, in Waitressing is not glamorous.| (although they’ll tease you all
Average Earnings 1,401 spite of my brother’s tales of his|]¢ is hard work, occasionally| summer about being an Easterner).
adventures in the previous sum-|chaotic and rather tiresome by | There are all sorts of parties etern-
, Number Approximate | mer. Labor Day. The hours, however, ally going on. An orchestra plays
Kinds of Paid Summer Work of Students Ave. Earnings} The composite picture of thelgre fairly regular and most places|in the grill and there is dancing
Clerks and Typists~.......... oe | $465 summer is a collection of hilarious | are supposed to give a day off each| every night. I didn’t come home
Camp Counselors and Riscrention Leaders 49 $220 adventures, shared by camper and|week, +" with much money from my summer
Waitresses . 24 $857 counselor alike, in a comparatively} As for the advantages of “meet-| (I suspect that if I hadn’t succum-. j
‘Selling x8 iad = $391 _|rugged life. One of the most im-|ing people,” I would say that was|bed to Canadian wools, I could e
Scientific and Téshnies! o 18 $803 - |portant results of this summer was|just so much philanthropical| have cleared about $150). But if
Hospital Assistants 16 $305 the acquisition of a deep respect|baloney. You do, of course, meet] you can manage it, working in a
Mothers’ Helpers ~~. 1. $223 |for water, strange animals and/|many different sorts, but on their} national park is the nicest way I
Other .. ee 31 $887 |the unexpected. _ terms, not yours. know to see the country.
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