The OkieLegacy

Castle On The Hill
1937 The Ranger Annual
Northwestern State Teachers' College

Student Labor
In the Maintenance Department

In an institution like Northwestern hundreds of dollars are spent annually to maintain the plant or the physical equipment. The larger part of this money is spent for labor and probably few people realize what is being done. Scarcely a week goes by without somebody breaking a window pane, a lock refuses to work, a door is broken, a chair is to be repaired, a cabinet must be built or a classroom needs repainting. Most of this type of work is done by the sutdent labor and usually the product is quite satisfactory.

During an ordinary year work is done on practically every part of a building from the roof to the basement. Also, much labor is consumed on the campus outside of the buildings. Trees and shrubs must be pruned, reset, or cared for. The ground must be cultivated around them so that they may absorb moisture in the spring and fall to help carry them through the summer. Grass must be reset and mowed. Dirt must be moved to repair damage done by washing rains. In fact, one could go on and on without exhausting the list of jobs for laborers.

The greatest problem in this work as in all other constructive enterprise is to find a laborer with sufficient ability and ambition to get the job done in a creditable manner. One can scarcely hope to find skills already developed in workmen of college age. We look rather for ability and assume the task of developing skills in so far as it is possible.

A crew is organized and assigned to a task where after considerable practice and coaching they begin to be proficient. Occasionally a student can be assigned work in line with their college interests in which case skill is developed much more rapidly.

There are two crews which should receive special mention. They are the power plant crew and the woodworking or repair crew. Four boys are assigned to power plant operation and we are pleased to note that they are fast obtaining the skill of professional workmen. From three to four are usually used on the repair crew and frequently undertake work that is quite difficult.

The only practical way to handle forty to fifty men in one group is to organize them into smaller groups. Student foremen are selected to lead these groups. Boys showing qualities of leadership are given these places. A small hourly premium in wages is paid for this work.

In so far as it is possible the maintenance department is conducted as a business industry. Boys who are employed are expected to produce value for their wages. The results are not always perfect since we are dealing with unskilled boys, but I believe we mayb e justly proud of the results obtained.

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