Due to recent budget cuts, Stevens’ drop-in tutoring has been cut. The Stute recently shed light on this, and in that piece, a new supreme has come into the picture to substitute what was recently taken.
After Stevens stopped the center, a few Residential Hall Association (RHA) members came together to discuss the possibility of implementing a newer drop-in tutoring to step in. After a month of planning, RHA had the opportunity to host the new tutoring center. The first day was met with a great turnout, according to officer of RHA, Christina Chen, 2/4 Civil Engineering student. It isn’t certain that drop-in tutoring by the Academic Support Center (ASC) will be back anytime soon, but what is certain is that RHA will be hosting more sessions. Here, Chen answered some questions that students may have about the new drop-in tutoring.
What is RHA’s purpose in its decision to bring back drop-in tutoring?
“Part of RHA’s purpose is to support students on campus, and when we heard about the Drop-in tutoring’s hours being cut, we knew this decision, while understandable, would take away an integral part of the support system that should be available to all students. We decided to organize a 2-day event the week before Thanksgiving break, a popular and busy time for exams.”
What are you guys looking for in tutors so that the students are getting an adequate learning experience?
“We are seeking upperclassmen who are interested in and eager to assist their peers. We reached out to many organizations to help out as tutors for our event. We have support from members of APO, ASCE, Gear and Triangle, RHA, and a few friends.”
How does this differ from what was created by the Academic Support Center (ASC)?
“Our program is less like formal tutoring and more of an event where people can come to tutor and get tutored. We had some food, a raffle for the volunteers, and tried to offer students a chance to get help in classes they need! Many students found the event helpful as they prepared for their upcoming exams.”
For the future, what are RHA’s plans for new possible initiatives to enhance the program?
“RHA is always looking for more opportunities to help out students! We are currently launching a laundry donation program and continuing to collect feedback from students on all sorts of things. In the future, we plan to continue offering service opportunities and plan events that support students’ needs.”
In all, this is a stepping stone in something that many students felt was a necessity to their academic career. Drop-in tutoring was a place for many students to obtain insight into classes, to learn from those who have already taken a course, and even for friends to come together and do school work together. It was more than a place to get tutored, but a foundational incentive for students to do well in school, especially when it was crunch-time and last-minute for midterms or finals. As previously mentioned, the probability of ASC bringing back drop-in tutoring doesn’t seem likely, so take advantage of RHA’s while we still have them. Moreover, to make sure that this continues to prosper and that more students have the opportunity to regain what was lost, below is a QR code to join and become a tutor.
