Families with kids in college this fall face not only tuition bills, but also higher fuel and food costs. To help ease the financial burden for the families of its enrolled students, Rhodes College in Memphis has responded with a variety of approaches including the Rhodes Student Associates Program (RSAP) an innovative program that offers students the chance to work in jobs that reinforce their classroom learning and earn up to $4,500 a year.

Daniel Jacobs ’09 works as a project manager on Crossroads to Freedom, a digital archive of the Memphis civil rights movement being assembled by Rhodes. “I wouldn’t have expected this level of interest and responsibility from a college job,” he says. “It’s also nice to be making significantly more than minimum wage -- enough, in fact, to pay the rent on my off-campus apartment. My parents will have to begin paying for my brother’s education next year and because of my RSAP position they won’t have to take out another loan.”

Bryan Hearn ’09, who works as a writer in the communications office, has also enjoyed his experience. “I’ve gotten the opportunity to contribute to the college in ways I never thought a student could," Hearn says. "In addition, I've also been able to lower the cost of my own college education." There are other benefits as well, he points out. "A big plus of the program is its convenience," Hearn says. "I don’t have to drive to get to work. I don’t have to spend money on gas. I can walk straight from class to my job."

The Rhodes Student Associates Program creates on-campus jobs but that’s where the similarity to a work-study program ends. Rather than being supported by federal money, the jobs are supported by the college. Originally funded by a grant that ended in 2007 it has been continued with the on-going support of the college because of its tremendous benefits to both students and the institution. This fall 100 students will be participating as Rhodes Student Associates working in most academic departments and administrative offices.