{"id":1607389,"date":"2024-04-12T19:40:06","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T19:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therealnews.com\/?p=311937"},"modified":"2024-04-12T19:40:06","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T19:40:06","slug":"occidental-college-undergrad-workers-join-the-campus-labor-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2024\/04\/12\/occidental-college-undergrad-workers-join-the-campus-labor-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Occidental College undergrad workers join the campus labor movement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Occidental College, one of the first liberal arts colleges established in California, presents a portrait of the idyllic all-American collegiate experience that many folks dream about. The small, well-planned campus features a distinctive Beaux-Arts design to its buildings and a tree-lined quad that have been featured in dozens of TV shows and movies over the decades, including Beverly Hills 90210, Clueless, and Jurassic Park III. Just under 2,000 full-time students were officially enrolled at the college in Fall 2022, and it remains one of the few colleges nationwide that focus exclusively on undergraduate education. Their recruitment flyers boast of the \u201cdistinctive interdisciplinary and multicultural focus of the College\u2019s academic program,\u201d which \u201cseeks to foster both the fulfillment of individual aspirations and a deeply rooted commitment to the public good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within the school’s buildings, where students flit through the halls and pass through the doors on their way to class, an army of student workers is busy keeping the institution running: they lead tours, work as teaching assistants, maintain the IT systems, assist in labs, file paperwork for various departments, and fill many more auxiliary roles in every corner of the campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the last few years, like so<\/a> many other workers<\/a> across the country<\/a>, student workers at Occidental have found it increasingly hard to make ends meet. The price tag for the premier liberal arts degree that Occidental College offers is $60,000 per year\u2014not including the additional $17,000 required to live on campus\u2014a steep hill to climb for working-class students who are eager to set themselves up for success in their careers. The majority of students, nearly 76% in Fall 2022<\/a>, receive financial aid in order to attend the college. But for most who receive aid, loans and Pell Grants can\u2019t close the gap, forcing them to seek out additional employment on or off campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n