By Ricky Thompson
Freshman Nicole Barclay receives $8 an hour to go to class.
The history and international affairs major receives a paycheck for taking notes in her regularly scheduled classes through a program for the Disability Resource Center (DRC).
Located at 20 Dodge Hall, the DRC provides services to Northeastern students with learning disabilities, as well as to those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Each semester the center hires qualified students to act as note takers for individuals who require such academic assistance.
“I retype all of my notes for the [DRC], so I go over them again,” Barclay said. “I really don’t have to study for my tests because I do it automatically.”
Coordinator of Note Taker Services Kristen Piscopiello said if a student feels he or she takes organized, detailed and legible notes, then the student can fill out an application at the beginning of each semester to become a note taker.
“We’re always looking for qualified note takers,” Piscopiello said.
The candidate will also need to submit five pages of previously-taken notes as well as a course schedule.
Piscopiello said the program, which has a starting pay of $8 and $10 an hour for undergraduate and graduate students, respectively, could be competitive for the larger core classes because of the number of applicants. The individual who best meets the center’s qualifications is awarded the position.
“The [chief requirement] is that you take great notes,” she said. “That’s the main thing that we base our decision on: the notes are legible, well organized and detailed. Sometimes we have seven to 10 students applying to be the note taker for one particular class, so it varies depending on the [situation].”
Senior journalism major Elissa Thorne has served as a note taker for five of her courses during the last two semesters, averaging approximately three pages of notes per session.
“I’ve always been that girl that took really good notes,” she said. “But now I take notes on more than I normally would and write down things that I normally wouldn’t write down.”
The enthusiasm Thorne and her fellow note takers exhibit for the post is something students like Jordan Katz appreciate.
Katz, a senior business management major, has received notes for all of his classes throughout the last four years due to a learning disability. Often, he will recruit a friend or familiar face from each of his classes to become a note taker so that he can be more involved in the documentation process.
“A lot of the time I have one of my friends do it, so if I tell them to write something down, they’ll write it down,” he said. “I use the notes all the time and if I have a question I can just ask them because I’ll have their phone number.”
Katz credits the program’s strength to Piscopiello’s dedication to providing exceptional training to those on her staff.
An hour-long training session, in addition to two formal evaluations, are mandatory in order to become more familiar with the position’s specifications.
“[In the training session] we cover everything from the office that the students are working for to the students that they are taking notes for,” Piscopiello said. In addition, the training reviews with each note taker the particular learning style of the student studying the notes and the considerations that have to be made in taking the notes for that student.
The notes are evaluated on a weekly basis in terms of formatting, organization, legibility and content. Two formal evaluations, occurring at the halfway point and end of each semester, also help to ensure that the quality of work remains consistent throughout.
Freshman Erin Mazen, a graphic design major who transferred to Northeastern from the University of Hawaii after her fall semester, worked as a note taker in her previous college experience.
“The program [in Hawaii] was much more private,” she said. “[At Northeastern] it’s a lot more personal between the student and the note taker.”
Mazen, who is recording notes for seven classes this semester – two of which are in addition to her normal schedule – said in Hawaii, the only information the school would release to note takers about the student they were transcribing for was a photograph so that it could be ensured the person was attending class on a regular basis.
Students interested in applying for a position can research the list of available classes by either checking the announcements page on the myNEU Web site, or through the DRC directly. Professors may also make announcements throughout a semester if they are aware a note taker is needed for their class.
