MEDILL NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL REPORT
Indiana Schools Just Under National Work-Study Spending Average
By CANDICE PRATSCH
MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON - When college students earn financial aid working after class, some grab pizza with friends, most work in school libraries, dining halls or campus offices. Carrie Coslov coordinates after-school activities for children of low-income families in Northwest Indiana.

As part of her work-study job at Valparaiso University, the 26-year-old undergraduate student works at the Hilltop Neighborhood House, which provides health and child care for needy families.

Valparaiso is one of 3,000 schools that receive federal funding for student work-study jobs ranging from positions in dining halls to tutoring. The wages help students pay tuition.

Under federal law, colleges and universities must allocate a certain percentage of work-study funds to community service. In the 1999-2000 academic year, Indiana schools reported contributing 11.3 percent - just under the national average of 11.8 percent.

St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Lafayette contributed the highest amount at 53.6 percent, while Franklin College gave the least at 1.8 percent.

In 1998, Congress raised the minimum amount of federal funds to be provided for community service from 5 to 7 percent after a 1991 study by the General Accounting Office - the investigative agency of Congress - found that only a small percentage of the money was used for community service.

Most Northwest Indiana schools met the minimum requirement in 1999-2000, according to Education Department figures. Numbers for last year weren't yet available..

Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting reported allocating 24.3 percent of work-study funds to community service.

Indiana University - Northwest in Gary gave 15.9 percent to community service, while Purdue University - Calumet campus in Hammond allocated 5.6 percent.

Commonwealth Business College in Merrillville allocated only 2.7 percent, but Pat Zinsmeister, director of financial aid in Commonwealth's corporate office, said the college just started participating in the work-study program. She said she expects the percentage to increase.

Valparaiso ranked the highest among Northwest Indiana schools for its work-study funds devoted to community service.

David Fevig, director of financial aid at the university, said the high rate of community service was a reflection of the students.

"They really enjoy working with people with needs. They're servants," he said.

Coslov, an art education major, said she has worked at Hilltop Neighborhood House for three years. In addition to coordinating after-school activities for the children there, she also works with 3- and 5-year-olds in a day care program.

"It's been such a wonderful experience for me personally," she said. "It's helped me with my major in school. I've learned a lot more responsibility through the childcare aspect, being a positive role model, being fun, but also being protective."

"I would work there for free," Coslov added.

Cherie Isakson, executive director of the organization, said she would welcome more work-study students to fill summer positions.

"The end of the school year comes and we just fall off a cliff," she said, adding that she must hire workers to fill the college students' positions.

Isakson said that for every employee in child care activities, there are four or five work study students.

"If we have staff at all those positions instead of work-study students, we'd be talking over $7,000 a week in salaries," she said.

As part of Valparaiso's work-study program, Isakson said, about 25 to 30 students work at the center in after-school programs or the health center.

In the 2000-2001 academic year, Valparaiso allocated 18 percent of its work-study funds to community service.

Under a bill proposed by Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and John McCain, R-Ariz., the requirement would increase to 25 percent by 2010.

"Looks like we could make 25 percent without a whole lot of effort," Fevig said.

But Joe Russo, director of financial aid at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, said the increase would put a financial strain on the school.

Notre Dame allocated only 4 percent of its work-study funds to community service in 2000-2001.

"We'd have a real challenge there because we have so many students who volunteer to do community service without being paid," Russo said, estimating that 75 to 80 percent of undergraduates are involved in volunteering on their own. "We might have to raise tuition to pay for it."

Graphics
Graphic of Best/Worst Schools

Graphic of Top 20 U.S. Schools and Their work-study percentage spent on community service

Graphic of Best States

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