As college students our number one priority is our schoolwork and doing whatever we can to do well in our classes. We all have certainly experienced many forms of struggle within these classes and tend to find ways to justify making a bad grade. The Academic Success Center is here for all of us to help change that. The Academic Success Center is a tutor service offered through our school through 15-20 college student tutors who can all truly relate to anyone who finds them self struggling through a class or even a few classes of theirs. This free tutoring service is located on the first floor of Lile in suite 122 and is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.
As you know, Ouachita wants nothing more than to see all of its students succeed in college and long after. The Academic Success Center is a huge part of making that goal happen. These services are not just for when you need help with homework or studying for a test, but for anything and everything related to your academics. The Academic Success Center caters to every type of student including those who are already advanced in their studies because everyone needs some guidance every now and then. Many people get caught up in the embarrassment of seeking help, but the tutors in the ASC want everyone to know there is no reason to feel that way because they often need help with certain areas of their studies as well.
Barrett Gay, a junior Mass Communications major who double minors in Philosophy and English has been a tutor for a year, now starting her second and wants everyone to know, “If you’re struggling, you don’t have to struggle.” Gay’s strong suites in tutoring are English, Philosophy, and she has offered to help in Latin.
Not only are the tutors in the Academic Success Center well versed in their fields of study but they have also all been through a training process where they were taught how to cater to each type of learning. Everyone has a certain style of learning that helps him or her to best take in and understand information. These three main types are visual, kinesthetic, and auditory. If you go in to the Academic Success Center knowing which of these you lean towards, or if you need a mixture of these to help you best, the tutors will use this information to further your time with them.
“Our tutors are trained staff members in our center, when interviewing for a tutoring position we explain to them the importance of serving other students. It’s not just a job; it’s a ministry! We look for tutors who are highly recommended by faculty and view the subject area as a passion,” said Nicole Porchia, the Director of the Academic Success Center.
The peers that will be at your service are passionate about you and your success. Anna Kumpuris, a senior Christian Studies major with a Mass Communications minor who tutored all last year says, “My favorite part of tutoring was just getting to know students I wouldn’t have normally met, and being able to use my gifts to help people succeed in areas they were struggling.” Kumpuris was not able to continue tutoring this year and says that she already misses it a lot. “All the tutors are awesome and the women who run the tutoring center are so fun and loving,” said Kumpuris.
The women who are in charge of the Academic Success Center are Amber Goodrum and Nicole Porchia. Only good things have been said about these two women who are not only passionate about the students coming in to be tutored or ask questions, but they care about their tutors just as much which is a huge part of having a good experience in the Academic Success Center. Goodrum is the Student Success Coordinator as well as the Center’s Academic Skills Instructor. She also provides mentoring and study skills with an emphasis towards the freshmen students who struggle with the transition from high school to college. This further proves that the Academic Success Center is not only for sitting down at thirty minute increments to be tutored, they are available for many of our needs.
“Miss Amber is so helpful, so available, I can just tell that she genuinely cares about student success,” said Gay who works closely with Goodrum.
Porchia is the Director of the Academic Success Center and her goal is to see that students are provided with the support they need to succeed by fostering and nurturing. She has seen many students come to grow close to the family of tutors.
“I enjoy working one-on-one with students to help them reach their academic goals,” said Porchia.
The Academic Success Center is a judgment free place where students can seek help for a number of things they might be struggling with.
If you would like to set up and appointment instead of dropping in you can email Nicole Porchia at porchian@obu.edu and she will gladly find a time that works best for you.
