Practical Suggestion

For the rest, that invaluable American institution, the "Placement Office" steps in. These student employment bureaux, now found at most American colleges, generally staffed with experienced people, find part-time jobs for students who want to make some money while they study. Baby-sitting, waitressing, typing. etc., were popular with the girls at my college. The college also employed many girls directly as library assistants, demonstrators in science courses, etc. Another, and even more vital aim of the Placement Offices is to see that each of the graduates goes to a position on leaving college.

A well-run Placement Office does not seem to be an undertaking beyond the grasp of a college such as Victoria. A trained vocational guidance officer would be needed: some of the necessary finance could be simply raised by charging a nominal fee for consultations: perhaps the college authorities might be persuaded to meet the rest.

More students might feel able to come full-time (and take advantage of the extra bursary help often available to them on condition they do so) if they could be more certain of finding spare-time jobs and profitable vacation work. Since we New Zealand students fortunately do not have to pay fees, a student helped in this way might not find it too hard to keep afloat financially through the fewer years needed by our undergraduates to complete their degrees. Having done odd part-time jobs found for me by the Wellesley College Placement Office. I'm reasonably sure the break from studies is often a help rather than the reverse, in fact baby-sitting, provided there were customers enough, gave one a better chance of study than one's own room in a hostel!

More full-time students: after a year at a college where everybody was a full-timer, I'd put this as one of Victoria College's most urgent needs. Others, as Salient readers don't need reminding, are the new Student Association building, and more and better hostels for students who have to live away from home. With these achieved, an improvement in the college's academic standards would probably result. But these measures would also helo tremendously in building up in Victoria College the sort of corporate life which is my strongest impression of my year at Wellesley. We Just don't know what we're missing in the way of extra-curricular activity, and in terms of contact with our fellow students.

Pauline Hoskins.