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Lack of funds means fewer tutors

Senior Nathan Lahr is one of many tutors employed by the Learning Enhancement Center. Lahr explains to Stephanie Hughes the ways to grab a reader’s attention in a well-written thesis. Lahr tutors in English, writing and music theory. / photo by German Jimenez
Senior Nathan Lahr is one of many tutors employed by the Learning Enhancement Center. Lahr explains to Stephanie Hughes the ways to grab a reader’s attention in a well-written thesis. Lahr tutors in English, writing and music theory. / photo by German Jimenez

Yelena Ovcharenko
Staff Writer

The University’s Learning Enhancement Center is serving more students this year than it has in the past. But it is doing so with a smaller staff of student tutors.

The LEC has approximately 25 tutors available – with plenty in some academic subjects, but a deficit in others.

Tutors for graduate level classes are particularly hard to find, especially for courses in business and the sciences.

“The LEC is somewhat stifled in their budget,” said tutor Nathan Lahr, a senior English and music major.

“There’s an obvious need for more tutors, but there is always a significant hesitation when hiring new tutors because the money is tight,” he said.

Last year more than 500 students signed up for tutoring, which is a 30 percent increase from the previous year, said LEC Director Bailey Smith.

“A lot of people come in to get English and math tutors,” said Wanda Groppi, senior math major, who tutors up to 13 hours a week.

Students would like funding to make the center more comfortable as well.

It would be great if LEC could afford couches and a little bit more space, said senior psychology major Marc Holmquist.

Despite financial setbacks, a number of changes have nonetheless taken place in the center this year.

The graduate assistant for psychology and program writing associates tutors assigned a class and met with students from that class every week.

Another change is the new English 109, an accelerated version of English 110 which has been started. This class requires the student to meet with a tutor once a week.

“It helps me to make sure that I get my homework done when I need to,” said Rebecca Frederick, junior physics major.

Smith has the dream of expanding LEC’s supplemental instruction program for challenging classes and have it for spring, not just for fall. Hiring a learning assistant for graduate programs is another dream for Smith.

“We want to be able to help as many students as we can,” Smith said.

Students that take advantage of the LEC tutoring program see an increase of quality in their work.

“I’d rather go to a tutor than risk failing a class,” said Temecia Watson, senior anthropology major.

Tutors usually devote an average of 10 hours a week to the tutoring program.

“I get a chance to meet new people around campus with whom I wouldn’t ordinarily cross paths. It’s kind of nice to walk around campus and smile and wave to grad students and freshmen alike, simply because we’ll work together on a paper in the LEC,” Lahr said.

Holmquist said that working as a tutor is the best work study job around.

This occupation gives him the opportunity to help people in the subjects that he is competent in.

“The coolest thing is when the light bulb comes on,” Groppi said. “Kids say why didn’t the teacher say that.”

Lahr indulges in the satisfaction and success of those he tutors as well.

“What I do know and cherish are the thank you’s I get from students who have come back with “A” papers. I feel like I’ve done my half of the work, and that they’ve done their half,” Lahr said.

Yelena Ovcharenko can be reached at yovcharenko@ulv.edu.

Yelena Ovcharenko, Web Editor
Yelena Ovcharenko
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