Alicia Meehan, Campus Carrier deputy news editor
The Writing Center will now be occupying the Memorial Library Commons alongside the Academic Success Center (ASC). The ASC is a source of tutoring for students by other students. ASC sessions happen weekly in the evenings, Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. All updates to the schedule are posted Friday evenings at 5:30 p.m. on the ASC’s website berry.edu/asc. The Writing Center is scheduled for afternoons Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. and Sundays 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Dean of Student Success Anna Sharpe oversees all professional and student staff of the ASC. Sharpe along with other professional staff have new offices located on the second floor of Evans in suite 232. The suite used to house the nursing department, but because the department now has their own dedicated space in the new Morgan-Bailey building, Sharpe and other staff members have moved to that space.
The goal of the ASC is to provide a place where students can get additional help outside of the classroom. The center is there for anyone even before they receive any grade.
“The Academic Success Center is for creating a space where students feel welcomed and excited to show up,” Sharpe said. “Even in the absence of a disappointing test grade.”
Peer-to-peer support is given by students who have already taken and done well in the classes a new student may need help in. According to Sharpe, faculty recommend the student helpers for their positions.
The student tutors are there to meet students where they are, whether they’re doing homework or preparing for an upcoming exam. The ASC does not schedule appointments, so students can drop in and ask a tutor for help at any time. Any student looking for help in a specific subject or class should check the website and find what time the student tutor they need will be working in the ASC that day.
The Commons space now hosts Writing Center consultants and Academic Success Center tutors.
Associate Director of Academic Transitions Kinsey Farmer’s office is also located in suite 232. She works with freshmen and transfer students, which includes First-Year Seminar (BCC100) and the Berry Journey.
At the end of each semester, the ASC sends out a survey to all students who have used the center’s services or scheduled an Individual Academic Consultation appointment. The survey asks students to rate their experience with their tutor, their service or the center. This is a recent addition to the ASC experience. According to Farmer, the ASC has proved to be helpful to student’s study habits and exams.
“In my time supervising the Academic Success Center, I’ve seen students bring cakes to older students who have supported them,” Farmer said.
Along with students who continue to regularly use the ASC as a resource, the center will check in on students who haven’t returned to the center after a while. The goal is to encourage students to continue accessing the service and consider what may have stopped them from returning.
The Writing Center’s previous space on the second floor of the library is now occupied by Berry Information Technology Students (BITS). Senior Gail Sanders is the assistant director of the Writing Center and works to bridge the gap between Director Melissa King and the student consultants.
Sanders has worked with the Writing Center before and after the change in location. According to Sanders, this transition has gone well and has been beneficial. While any new space takes a while to get used to, Sanders said that the larger space has helped groups a lot. In their previous location in the loft, one-on-one consultations would be hampered by crosstalk between groups in the same room, but the Commons is large enough for this not to be an issue.
While the ASC has seven student leaders who work with 60 tutors, the Writing Center’s 25 consultants are overseen by three student leaders. Despite the two groups working in the same space, all staff work well with each other, and there aren’t conflicts in scheduling between the two groups.
“The transition has been very smooth; there have been no problems,” Sanders said. “It’s been fun to collaborate with their team as well.”
The ASC will not be holding help sessions on the Sept. 25 but instead will hold the “Treat Yo’self” event. The theme for September’s event is Football Game Day, and the ASC will provide snacks and craft activities. The dropin event has been held twice a semester in the Commons since 2015. The second “Treat Yo’self ” will be held Nov. 18.