Marshall University’s Tutoring Services decided to try something new this semester. It opened its doors to allow any student, whether they are new to campus or have already been a student at Marshall, to visit and get paired up with a tutor that can help their academic needs.

The open house took place Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. and offered free refreshments for anyone that attended. This event also allowed students to meet and connect with every tutoring peer and faculty member who works with the program.

Patricia Gallagher, academic counselor and tutoring coordinator at Marshall University, said she wanted to have this open house so students could see where they are located and what services are offered.

“We have the introductory subjects from the freshman and sophomore level courses,” Gallagher said. “We usually have the subjects that are on high demand that students need help most in like math, biology and chemistry.”

Tayler Stamey is the Graduate Assistant for Tutoring Services at Marshall University that takes care of sending requests and sets up the appointments for students to make sure every student will be able to get scheduled even if they have unique needs or limited availability.

“Students will fill out a green forum to let us put them in our system and to let us know what times they are available for tutoring,” Stamey said. “I will see who they are, their course schedule, and what class they need to be tutored in, so I can match their open schedule to one of our tutor’s open schedule.”

Yesenia Rodriguez, a sophomore double majoring in psychology and philosophy, attended the Tutoring Open House.

“I was in a situation that I wanted tutoring and was glad that the Tutoring Services had an open house for students to attend,” Rodriguez said. “I believe other students should take the opportunity to receive tutoring if it is given to you, and this is the best way since the tutors have took these classes and are willing to help you in person rather than having to watch a video on YouTube to figure it out.”

Tutoring Services announced it will use Skype this year for students that are unable to attend face-to-face. It is only available to students who live off campus and have no way to get to campus.
Tutoring spots and schedules are still available for any student that is in need by visiting University College in Smith Communications Building room 211 or by going to Marshall University’s Tutoring Services page online.

Alison Baldridge can be contacted at [email protected].