The Sterling Work Ethic
Work-Based Aid
The Practice of Work
All College Work Days
Work Program Supervisor and Self Evaluations
Tuition Credit
Work Crew Positions
Farm and Kitchen Chores Policy
Residential Chores Policy
Probation
Probation Contracts

Work Program Policy

Sterling College belongs to the national Work Colleges Consortium.

At each of these member colleges, work is an integral part of every resident student’s regular schedule. The work requirement at Sterling includes a turn at doing dishes, cleaning the residences, and maintaining the College farm, as well as performing useful work elsewhere on campus. Federal legislation requires that consequences for nonperformance or failure in the Work Program be similar to consequences for failure in the regular academic program. All resident students must receive a satisfactory grade in the College’s Work Program during their final semester of academic enrollment. Non-resident students must receive a satisfactory grade in their final semester of record in the College’s Work Program.

Repeated failure to meet obligations may result in suspension or dismissal from Sterling College.

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The Sterling Work Ethic

At Sterling, we believe in connecting directly with our support system. If some hidden unknown person provides for us and cleans up after us, we are more likely to be excessively messy and to take our food and energy consumption for granted. Direct involvement in the work of the campus helps us all be more responsible members of the college community. The student work contribution also results in an immediate cost savings, since fewer professional staff are needed to do the work of the college, thus resulting in reduced tuition costs for everyone.

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Work-Based Aid

In addition to contributing to the campus environment and holding the line on costs, Sterling students also earn direct tuition credit through their work program hours. At most colleges, only students with demonstrated financial need get financial aid. In effect, all Sterling students qualify automatically for financial aid. All on-campus resident students have a work obligation of 80 hours per semester. Students meet their obligation in a variety of ways. A typical semester’s work commitment might look like this:

For the 2006-2007 academic year, students on campus both semesters would be able to earn at least $1500 toward paying their tuition costs. By working the required 80 hours per semester noted above, tuition credit is gained as follows:

Additional earnings are possible through student crew leader and residence hall supervisor positions, off-campus internships, and federal Work Study jobs.

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The Practice of Work

Aside from paid work assignments, students develop good work routines in the following courses and activities:

• Tools and Their Applications
• Farm Projects
• Woodlot Practices
• Internships
• Reverence for Wood
• Summer Farm Program

In both paid work and skills classes we encourage work habits such as:

• Understanding work objectives
• Contributing to Sterling College mission
• Promptness
• Wearing appropriate clothing
• Safe use and care of tools and equipment
• Ability to work with others, with or without supervision
• Providing suggestions to improve work-place quality

During work assignments, faculty members often work alongside students. A work supervisor’s responsibility is to manage risk and evaluate student performance, as well as to help get the job done. The supervisor will communicate his or her observations immediately to the student and in the form of a mid-semester feedback form. In this way, students build on their strengths and improve on their weaknesses.

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All College Work Days

Each semester All College Work Days are scheduled when no classes are held. All students are expected to participate in these work days, either through their regular Work Crew job or by contributing to selected tasks for the day. Special activities include the Garden Harvest Fest in the fall,large farm or woodland projects, and campus clean up for graduation in the spring.

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Work Program Supervisor and Self Evaluations

Work Crew and chore supervisors should give on going feedback to students about job performance. Once a semester both student worker and supervisor will be given the opportunity to do a brief formal evaluation. The purpose of these evaluations is to assess timeliness, ability to work independently, quality of work, and thus overall effort and contribution toward the work of the College. Copies of these evaluations are kept in student files in the Work Program Office.

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Tuition Credit

Students receive financial credit for their work after signed time sheets are submitted weekly to the Work Program Office. The Dean of Work then notifies the Business Office once a month to have the hours worked credited to student accounts. Upon completion of the 80 hour per semester requirement (50 hours for off-campus students), a grade of S (Satisfactory) is recorded on the permanent transcript. Completion of 80 hours also results in the semester bonus of $130 credited to student accounts. Full credit for the semester means students receive $750 per semester ($9.37/hour!!) toward their tuition.

Missing chores or other work assignments means loss of monetary and/or program credit. Failure to meet work obligations also results in Work Probation with a grade of U (Unsatisfactory) recorded on the permanent transcript. Repeated failure to meet obligations may result in suspension or dismissal from Sterling College.

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Work Crew Positions

Students earn the largest share of Work Program credits through Work Crew jobs on-and-off campus. At the end and at the start of each semester, descriptions of available positions will be posted for the following semester. Students may then contact supervisors for information about a position and/or apply for a first, second, or third choice job directly through the Work Program Office. A Jobs Fair is held at the start of each semester for incoming students or any one who does not have a job. Some jobs require particular skills or prior training; applicants will have to demonstrate their suitability before being hired. Once hired or assigned a job, student workers are expected to show professional work behavior. Unacceptable performance may result in firing from a job. Being fired does not free a student from work obligations but necessitates finding a new job.

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Farm and Kitchen Chores Policy

1. Scheduling:
   The schedule of weeklong farm/kitchen chore responsibilities is posted in the main foyer at the start of each semester indicating resident students assigned to each type of work for that week. Be sure to note your assignment. You may change your assigned chore weeks within the first month of each semester. To do this, you must find another student with the same type of chores who is willing to switch from her/his original assignment and then submit a Chores Exchange form to the Work Program Office. The request must contain the type of chores to be switched, the dates, and each person's signature.Note: When a switch is made, it is for the entire week, and the switch must be for the scheduled job only. For example, farm chores cannot be switched with kitchen chores.
2. Substitutes:
   Switching individual chore sessions is discouraged. Plan ahead and switch weeks, as noted above. If an emergency or illness requires missing one session or a full day of chores, you must arrange for a substitute with your chore supervisor and complete the make-up work session to gain full credit for your week of chores.
3. Farm/Kitchen chore violations:
   First Offense:

   If a Farm/Kitchen chores shift is missed, the Chore Supervisor will intervene. Included in the intervention will be a clear statement in writing that all chores need to be completed. For further emphasis, the student may be referred to the Work Program Office or Dean of Work.
   Second Offense:

   If a second chores shift is missed, the student will receive a “second offense write-up.” This written report will be shown to the student, sent to the Work Program Office, and entered in the student’s work program file. If a “second offense” is not corrected and chore shifts continue to be missed, the student must meet with the Dean of Work and may lose all hours for their chores and/or their 80-hour bonus for the semester (in effect a $125 fine per semester.)

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Residential Chores Policy

1. Scheduling:
   Residential chores are assigned at the start of each semester in consultation with residence hall supervisors. The cleaner you can keep your residence while you have chores, the easier the job will be. Expect roughly one hour of work per day to keep your common spaces tidy.
2. Residence chores violations:
   First Offense:

   If Residential Chores have not been initiated by Wednesday morning of the week assigned, the Residence Supervisor will intervene. Included in the intervention will be a clear statement (in writing) that chores need to be completed by a given time. For further emphasis, the student may be referred to the Dean of Students.
   Second Offense:

   In the event chores are not completed, the student will receive a “second offense write-up.” This written report will be shown to the student and be sent to the Work Program Office, where it will be entered in the student’s work program file. If a “second offense” is not corrected and chore shifts continue to be missed, the student must meet with the Dean of Students and may lose all hours for their chores and/or their 80-hour bonus for the semester (in effect a $125 fine per semester.)
3. In addition, failure to complete residence chores can result in one or all of the following:
   • A returning student who has previously failed to complete residence chores will be granted on-campus housing only after the completion of a contract, which includes an agreement to complete residence chores. The contract will be developed by the Dean of Students and the student.
   • Students failing to complete residence chores will not be considered/granted rooms/residence of their choice.
   • Repeated failure to complete chores will result in losing the privilege of living on campus.

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Probation

At Sterling we are committed to helping people develop responsible work habits. We realize that some of us follow long established patterns of procrastination and avoidance that are hard to change. For this reason, we have developed a "safety net" which is designed to catch people before they fall. If you are an accomplished "acrobat" who stays on the tightrope, who always gets work done and meets responsibilities faithfully, you probably won't even realize the "net" is there. Probation is one part of that net that we'll explain here.

A student who fails to meet responsibilities at Sterling may be placed on Probation. Probation is designed to be a tool for positive change. At a weekly meeting, faculty will review the performance of all students who are on Probation. If a student is placed on Probation, he/she must see his/her advisor immediately to work out a strategy for improvement. Records of Probation are maintained in the student's permanent file. There are three reasons a student might be placed on Probation: Academic, Social, Work

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Probation Contracts

First year students who are on Probation repeatedly or for an extended period may be asked to meet specific conditions described in a contract signed by the student and “the appropriate Dean”. These conditions may include such requirements as attendance at all classes, timely completion of assigned work, meetings with advisor and course faculty, and agreeing to specific community standards. Each contract will specify a review date, at which time the student may meet with faculty to review his/her performance. The review may result in removal from Probation, release from the contract but maintenance of Probation, an extended or modified contract, or expulsion by vote of the faculty.

After their first year, students who remain on Academic Probation for an extended period will not be required to enter into a contract. After a year of practice, we expect these students to attend all classes and keep up with their work without reminders from faculty. Sterling's program is designed to give students more independence as the months go by, and we want to give students the responsibility of succeeding or failing by their own efforts. Please note, however, that Academic Probation status is a permanent part of the student's record and will affect academic and work recommendations.

Contracts for behaviors covered by Social Probation do apply after the first year, since these behaviors reach beyond individual consequences to affect the entire community.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A STUDENT WHO FAILS TO DEMONSTRATE IMPROVED EFFORT BY MEETING THE CONDITIONS AGREED UPON IN A PROBATION CONTRACT MAY BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE COLLEGE BY A VOTE OF THE FACULTY. ANY STUDENT WHO REMAINS ON PROBATION AT THE END OF AN ACADEMIC YEAR AT STERLING MUST BE INVITED TO RETURN BY A VOTE OF THE FACULTY AS A CONDITION OF CONTINUING AT THE COLLEGE.

Students have the right to appeal such decisions to “the appropriate Dean”, then to the President of the College.

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