Tutoring center eyes space

The Skills Enhancement and Tutoring Center at Portland State is vying to move into the student lounge in Smith Memorial Student Union after no space accommodations to the center have been made, despite rising tutor enrollment.

In its first year, the center provided approximately 1,700 hours of tutoring–that number has more than tripled, but the space allotted for tutoring has remained the same, said Lisa Hatfield, the coordinator of the center.

Hatfield met earlier this month with Rudy Soto, student body president, and Dan Fortmiller, interim vice provost for student affairs, to discuss moving the center out of its current location in room 425 of Smith Memorial Student Union. Amanda Newberg, chair of the Student Fee Committee, was also in attendance at the meeting, to discuss increasing the amount of funding for the center. Each year the SFC is responsible for the allocation of $12.4 million in student incidental fees to student groups including Athletics and The Vanguard.

The Skills Enhancement and Tutoring Center, part of PSU’s Educational Equity Programs and Services program, has been steadily growing in size since it was established fall term of 2003, Hatfield said.

Fortmiller is also the previous director of the Information and Academic Support Center, which shares the workspace with the tutoring center.

“We have seen considerable growth over the last four years … and now we are limited by space,” Hatfield said. “The student lounge is right there across the hall. It is a visible option, and we would love to have that space.”

As of now, Hatfield and Fortmiller are working together to draft an expansion proposal for the advisory board.

“Right now we are in the initial planning stages … having conversations with affected

parties in regards to how to approach the Smith Advisory Board,” Fortmiller said.

Currently, the tutoring center is made up of eight cubicles in SMSU 425, a space that is shared by both the Education Equity Programs and Services program and the Undergraduate Advising and Support Center.

“[Smith 425] is a little overcrowded,” said Fortmiller, who emphasized that at this point the move is only in the proposed stages.

Before any move can be made, approval must first be given by the Space Allocation Committee of the Smith Memorial Student Union Advisory Board, whose members are appointed by Associated Students of Portland State University.

Soto, said he is optimistic about the proposal being approved, and that he has been encouraging Hatfield to pursue this move since he first heard of it.

“I am shocked that we have Oregon’s largest enrollment, and yet the tutoring center has such a small and overcrowded office space. This expansion is logical and only makes sense,” Soto said.

Soto also said he will be working closely with students he has appointed to the Space Allocation Committee to make sure they know that this is a high priority.

As for a higher allotment of student funds, Soto says, “I am 110 percent supportive of anything SFC allocates for the tutoring center, but that is a SFC decision.”

No date could be given for when the proposed expansion might take place.