That's Where Their Money Goes

Parents of U.S. college students had a chance last week to find out how the students spend their money. Indiana University's Assistant Professor of Economics Mary Mazeppa Crawford had studied Indiana spending to the decimal place (Student Folkways and Spending at Indiana University, 1940-41, A Study in Consumption; Columbia University Press; $3.50).* A good state university, neither very rich nor very poor, Indiana could be considered an average guinea pig. Sample Crawford findings:

> "Even coeds who talked much of reducing ate [potatoes] regularly when they were free. But when a charge was made . . . the coeds began to comment frequently on their fattening qualities, and a few even shuddered when they passed them at the cafeteria counter."

>-"The fact that men students have control over the marriage proposal . . . has made women students much more clothes-conscious than men. ... In 1940-41, the median college woman . . . spent $111.14 for her wardrobe, as against the median male expenditure of $57.93."

> "A check of three classes showed 80% of the women wearing sweaters. There are several reasons. . . . Some of the girls . . . owned as many as eight or ten."

> "Fraternity men tended to pay more for their socks than nonmembers. . . ."

>-"College men are also vulnerable to advertisements [of] . . . perfumes, face powders, mouth washes and deodorants."

> "By 1940-41 . . . the reduction in the size and number of items worn by women and the change in the nature of the materials . . . made it fairly easy for women students to launder them in the bathrooms. . . ."

> "One of the commonest kinds of dates is popularly known ... as a 'joeing date.' These usually occur at the university commons or at some restaurant . . . either between classes or during hours ordinarily set aside for study. In warm weather, a 'coke' or frosted chocolate is usually purchased for refreshment, and on cold days hot coffee or chocolate."

> "No attempt was made to study the consumption of liquor as a separate item."

> "Only eleven . . . reported that they owned cars and kept them in Bloomington during the entire school year. In general the reasons given . . . were similar to that of one man who said . . . that when he brought his car . . . he often left it parked on a side street across town from the fraternity house so that his fraternity brothers would not know it was in town."

> "The expenditure pattern of a typical student may . . . be described as follows: of his total expenditures of $673.06 he spent $110.62 for room rent and $207.28 for his meals. His clothing cost him $74.78, his laundry $9.71, and the goods and services required for his personal care $6.33. His fees paid to the university amounted to $98.43 and his dues to organizations $4.93. For his textbooks he paid $26.83 and for general reading matter $2.81. Trips . . . cost about $19 and . . . health $7.27. For recreation he spent $21.83 and for refreshments and tobacco $17.60. Gifts including flowers and contributions cost him $6.69."

*Bloomington, the university seat, is about 92 miles from Muncie, scene of Middletown, Robert and Helen Lynd's sociological study which, in 1929, made that Indiana town a symbol of U.S. life. Notable Indiana alumni: Wendell Willkie, '13, Paul V. McNutt, '13.

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