Written by: Sienna Day
The Writing and Tutoring Centers have seen a large increase in foot traffic this semester. Compared to August of last year, the number of appointments has more than doubled, according to Sonja Fordham, director of the Writing and Tutoring Centers.
According to Fordham, there were 320 tutoring appointments this August compared to 159 last August, despite the Tutoring Center only being open for a week and a half this August. She expects the number of appointments made this month to exceed 1,000.
Fordham said the increase in appointments is likely due to the rise in student numbers on campus. This high demand paired with a limited number of tutors has made it difficult for some students to schedule tutoring appointments this semester.
“We are very popular on campus,” said Fordham. “Sometimes students are unable to find an appointment because all the tutors have been booked, and all the appointments have been taken.”
“Sometimes students are unable to find an appointment because all the tutors have been booked, and all the appointments have been taken.”
As of September 11, there are 72 tutors working for the Tutoring Center with specialties in nearly 50 different courses, according to Fordham. There are also 16 writing tutors available to help students with writing classes or personal writing projects.
Matthew Savino, freshman finance major, has been using the Tutoring Center since the beginning of the semester and said it has been beneficial for him.
“I’m more prepared for the class and the class discussions because of it,” Savino said.
According to Fordham, employees of the Writing and Tutoring Centers have spoken at every freshman orientation and to each class with a corresponding tutor, so all new students should be aware of the centers’ services.
“I have been so happy to see students utilizing the Tutoring Center and the Writing Center,” Fordham said. “I feel like these resources are here for the students. They are paid for by the students’ tuition dollars, and I’m really happy when they utilize the services. The growth this semester has been great.”