Brookhaven Courier

Issue date: 11/12/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Nadia Galindo Dr. Sharon Blackman (left) discusses the needs of students and faculty during "Sharing with Sharon" roundtable. Tutoring was a major issue in this session.

Since July 2007, the Center for Academic Success and Achievement has offered tutoring for Brookhaven College students on Saturdays. Two signs now hang on the entrance door to the area known as CASA.

One announces the cancellation of weekend tutoring in L351. The other announces chemistry tutoring will still be provided but moved to the Chemistry Corner from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in K Building on Saturdays.

CASA will remain open Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in L351.

Beth Nikopoulos, director of the center for independent study, said the reason for the cuts is because the funding for CASA has changed.

"The reason is because we've had funding in the past that is both college and grant funding, and one of those grants has changed so we cannot use that money the way we would have in the past," Nikopoulos said. "Because such a high number [of students] do not qualify for the grant, I am not able to use the same sources of money I might have used in the past."

Nikopoulos said even though Brookhaven has provided more funding for CASA this year than the previous year, hours distributed between tutors are limited because there is less grant money.

Marilyn Lynch, associate vice president of career and program resources, said the TRIO grant and PERKINS IV grant are used to fund tutoring. To use these grants for CASA, students using tutoring must be eligible for the grants. She said according to data that has been collected, 6 percent of students using CASA qualify for the TRIO grant and 14 percent are eligible for the PERKINS IV grant. She said since 80 percent of students do not qualify for grant money they are limited to money the college funds.

Martha Timberlake, associate dean and director for the Center for Tutoring and Learning Connections at Richland College, said the CTLC provides tutoring to Richland students mostly by college funding. She said only a small portion comes through grants and they offer tutoring seven days a week. Richland also has a designated tutoring center.

Continued...

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