Working Scholar Welfare Initative
Working Scholar Welfare Initiative (WSWI) is a collection of working student-focused programs, policies, events, and seminars that can give colleges ideas on what they can do to help their working students. There are 3 different collections that each help one of the three common main challenges working students face.
Steady Scholar mainly addresses challenges with balancing school, work, and personal life for working students.
Work Well Scholar mainly addresses the well-being and health of working students.
Working Scholar Network aims to create/improve support systems for working students.
Working Scholar Welfare Initiative aims to have colleges adapt their programs, policies, events, and seminars to help their working students. We do acknowledge that colleges cannot easily implement these ideas. Budget-friendly and lightweight options are provided and can be identified with the tags seen below.
Budget Friendly
Programs, policies, events, and seminars with this tag are budget friendly and can be low cost.
Lightweight
Programs, policies, events, and seminars with this tag have minimum upkeep, and are easy to maintain.
Steady Scholar
Time management seminar
The time management seminar goes into detail with everything related to time management, the causes of time management issues, how working students can manage their time with work and school, and what time management strategies that works best for them. Learning time management is important for a working student as it helps them better balance both their academics and their jobs.
Flexible Learning & Extended Completion
The FLEX program is a program that gives working students the chance to attend 20% of their classes online! Not only that but it would allow a 24 hour to 48 hour extension on projects, quizzes and assignments.
Early registration period
The Early Registration Period Program allows qualified students to register for courses early. The program assists working students in enrolling in courses that best fit their availability before classes fill up because they have to manage their class schedules with their work shifts.
Online classes
An option for working students to be able to take their classes remotely online. Students taking fully online classes would have the same coursework and classes as a face to face student would. The working student would be able to complete the course online and receive their degree. While most schools prefer the traditional face to face set up, online classes benefit working students as not only does it give them more time to work and rest but it also cuts their transportation/housing costs. Online classes make learning more accessible to working students.
Working Scholar Resource Network
Academic tutoring program
Every college has working students, but not all of them have communities for working students. Having an organization or an association can build a sense of community with working students, and make them feel less alone. This community lets working students help one another. Whether it be connections to jobs, networking, giving out advice, providing emotional or academic support. A working student community can bring endless possibilities and opportunities for working students.
Working student organizations/associations
There are working students who fall behind on their studies and need assistance catching. The Academic Tutoring program allows working students to schedule tutoring sessions during the gaps in their schedule to be tutored so they can catch up, better understand their classes and improve in their studies. There are a multitude of reasons why some working students cannot keep up with their studies, it's important for them to have an option to have help to be able keep up in class.
On campus jobs
Having the option to work on campus can greatly benefit working students, as it cuts transportation costs and time from school to work and it allows students to have more flexible hours. Working students are less likely to be fatigued from school and work, and could have more free time. On campus employment make work for students more accessible and convenient, allowing the working student to focus more energy on their studies.
Tuition deferral program
The tuition deferral program allows working students to pay their tuition when their paycheck comes instead of during a set deadline like the regular students, this allows a safety buffer for working students to not worry about paying their tuition now and suffering until the next paycheck or not paying and having their classes dropped
Emergency cash assistance
Every college has working students, but not all of them have communities for working students. Having an organization or an association can build a sense of community with working students, and make them feel less alone. This community lets working students help one another. Whether it be connections to jobs, networking, giving out advice, providing emotional or academic support. A working student community can bring endless possibilities and opportunities for working students.
Food subsidy
The food subsidy will allow students to get unsold cafeteria food at a coupon/discount or for free depending on the time of day and how close to closing the cafeteria is.
Working student networking
A Job fair that not only allows students to view job opportunities and secure employment for after they graduate, but also for working students to seek more employment as well as employers who hire undergraduate students.