EVERETT — Michele Hansen, Kelly Seeley and Sarah Spangler all managed to find their way to the bottom floor of Rainier Hall, where extra help awaits hundreds of Everett Community College students.
The recently expanded EvCC tutoring center has never been busier than in the past few months. A few weeks before the end of the quarter, it has had 2,200 student visits, far surpassing the previous record of 1,400, while 250 students have requested individual tutors.
"This is my home away from home," said Hansen, 36, a pre-nursing student with a bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies.
The tutoring center and companion assistance programs in writing, reading and study skills are only going to get busier as the college takes advantage of a five-year, $1.82 million federal grant.
The college will use the money in several ways: to add and better train tutors, increase hours for students and reconfigure existing space to better coordinate services. It also is investing money into technology, with "virtual tutorials" on the horizon for students looking for help online.
Along the way, the college plans to make it easier for students to find help, whether with pre-college writing skills or college-level organic chemistry.
"It will be a one-stop shop," said Stu Barger, the EvCC vice president of instruction. The grant focuses on students who are considered underprepared for college in at least one subject.
Statistically, nearly half of entering community college students across the state need at least one pre-college course in math, English or reading, according to the state Board of Community and Technical Colleges. The same holds true at EvCC, Barger said.
"The grant is definitely geared toward the level of student who is not quite ready to take on college work," said Bill Sperling, dean of learning services. "It’s just below college level."
Even so, it should help all students, even those taking advanced college-level science courses.
"Anybody who thinks they need more help to succeed is our client," Sperling said.
Sharon Wellman, a college instructor who leads the tutoring center, looks forward to increasing student access.
"It’s going to be humming a lot more hours than we have now," she said.
During fall quarter, the center in Rainier Hall is open 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday. Saturday hours are 9 a.m.-noon in Baker Hall.
Seeley, an Everett-area resident with two teenagers at home, plans to study nursing. The tutoring center has helped her get back into the swing of school after many years away.
She figures tutoring help saves time, money and effort down the road.
"If you don’t take it here, you are going to have to pay for it later," she said. "It’s a very nice resource to have."
Spangler is an EvCC student and math tutor who also gets tutoring when she needs it.
"I was in the library studying, and I ran into a problem I couldn’t do, so I just came over here," she said. "I just started doing my homework here. Most people just come in and study, and if they have a problem, someone is available."
Barger said he doesn’t believe the increase in demand for tutoring is a reflection of students being less prepared than in the past. Rather, they probably face higher expectations to do well, he said.
"I think the need has always been there and the intensity of competition for finishing or transferring or the expectation of the workplace has increased the need for students to do well," Barger said. "Getting by just doesn’t make it anymore."
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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