Supervision of Student Labor
The student labor program is one of the College’s most distinctive features and an integral part of a Berea education. Students work throughout the campus in over 100 different labor departments. Each member of the College Faculty usually has one worker to assist with tasks directly related to one’s teaching and other professional responsibilities. The faculty member serves as labor supervisor for that student and any others assigned to the faculty member. As a labor supervisor, one becomes a user of labor while continuing as a teacher, albeit outside one’s primary discipline. The student’s labor assignment is intended to be an opportunity for learning and growth, not just a job requiring performance of specific tasks. Care should be taken to insure that skills and good work habits are developed, that the relation of the assignment to the larger purposes of the department and the College is understood, that the dignity of all useful work is emphasized, and that the position serves as a means for enhancing self-esteem.