A sequestered student lounge on the fourth floor of the Smith Memorial Student Union—often favored by students in need of a nap—is still a haven for students seeking a quiet space but is also now for those in need of academic assistance.
The Skills Enhancement and Tutoring Center, which for years was relegated to a cramped corner of the Undergraduate Advising and Support Center, moved across the hall into SMSU, room 439 in mid-April.
The SETC employs student tutors who are recommended and screened by faculty and staff. Tutors are paid student-fee-funded stipends to provide academic assistance to individuals and groups on a drop-in basis or by appointment.
The program, whose free services are available to all students, is under the Educational Equity Programs and Services umbrella at Portland State.
“The program needed a larger space,” said Paulette Watanabe, director of EEPS. “Under the direction of Lisa [Hatfield] the program has grown tremendously.”
Hatfield, coordinator of the SETC, said the program used to see approximately 1,700 students a year, but in the fall and winter term of this the 2008-09 academic year alone 4,200 students sought out the center’s services.
The previous SETC space was simply a cluster of cubicles in the back of the UASC advising office that provided very little space and privacy for students, Hatfield said.
“There used to be so much confusion,” Hatfield said. “People would come in and sign in at the wrong computer, and then not know where to wait or to go for the tutors and, unfortunately, some people would just leave.”
The new room across the hall on SMSU’s fourth floor is an “L” shaped space filled with tables and chairs inside of the entrance and leading to a check-in desk in the corner.
Around the corner near the check-in desk is a wall of windows overlooking the South Park Blocks and lined with chairs that sit across from a long row of cubicles that are stocked with learning materials ready for students and tutors to use.
At the end of the hall is a room constructed for group tutoring sessions. There is also a resource bookshelf that contains study materials available to students.
“Students come in here to hangout and study, together and alone. It’s a multifunctional space,” Watanabe said. “It’s neat to see it used so effectively.”
In addition to peer tutoring, SETC offers supplemental instruction for biology and statistics classes, and workshops on learning strategies and public speaking. The center is also certified by the College Reading and Learning Association, a national organization that recognizes university tutoring programs.
For more information on SETC and the services it provides, visit http://setc.pdx.edu/.