The Writing and Tutoring Center at Saint Mary’s has served the campus community for 51 years. It began as the Writing Proficiency Program in 1974.
Director of the Writing and Tutoring Center Jennifer Juszkiewicz submitted a plan to add subject area tutoring following the pandemic. After garnering support from the provost office and faculty, she surveyed students and staff on what they would like to see from the program, which led to the opening of the Writing and Tutoring Center during winter break 2021-2022.
Now, the Writing and Tutoring Center is available for all students in nearly all subject matters. With 53 tutors, the center is able to accommodate a large number of classes. Juszkiewicz explained how different services offered by the center help to support students.
“When it comes to reading, [tutors] can help you develop annotation strategies for a text, figure out how to sort of work through a textbook in terms of how to take notes from it, things like that ... For writing tutoring, they help you with thesis organization, coherence, integration of evidence [and] citation styles,” she said.
There are a variety of tutors in different subject areas, including organic chemistry, psychology, sociology and many others. A Doctor of Nursing Practice is also available to help with the undergraduate nursing class. The center also sponsors a group of nursing students to assist with those classes, as they are high demand.
For Juszkiewicz, the value of the Writing and Tutoring Center comes from its ability to support students in whatever way they learn best.
”One person may learn really well working independently in one class, but they may really struggle in another class because the content or the delivery simply isn’t clicking for them. Coming and working with a peer, one on one, can help them through some of those questions,” she said.
Sophomore Katelynn Asbury is a macroeconomics tutor who found value in the center as a free resource for students to learn what they need in their classes.
“I see it build confidence in our students, and affirm what they already know and help them grow in their education and knowledge,” she said. “Tutoring can be really expensive, so the fact that we offer it for free really helps out students financially.”
Senior A.B. Sheridan, a reading and writing tutor, said the peer support she received in the center allowed her to build her own community.
“Great people work in the Writing and Tutoring Center [and] great people come to the Writing and Tutoring Center,” she said. “It’s a really a great environment to learn from other people and be motivated in your studies while also getting a break and just getting to be students with other students.”
Many undergraduates rely on the Writing and Tutoring Center to help them with day-to-day assignments.
Sophomore Ani Brady has come to rely on the center to improve her writing skills.
“Just to have someone read over it is really helpful. I’ve even just used it as an accountability thing to be like, ‘I’m gonna go there and sit down and do my paper,’” she said.
The center eases students through their transition from high school to college assignment.
“It’s beneficial because, in high school, you’re asked to do a few research papers, but they’re not exactly college level research papers, so it can definitely help you level up your writing,” freshman Julianna Mader said of the center.
According to Juszkiewicz, Saint Mary’s Writing and Tutoring Center works with about 30% of the student body every year. The national average for students using similar academic services is 12.5%.
After only one semester, 22% of Saint Mary’s students have already logged time at the center.
“There is a stigma associated with seeking academic support services and I think it’s important to know that one in every four people you walk by on this campus has already been in to see us this semester,” Juszkiewicz said.
The Writing and Tutoring Center is housing in Leighton-Cushwa Library and is open during its hours.
“It’s a resource that’s available pretty much 24/7. I’ve never had an issue scheduling an appointment and even if I’m writing my paper last minute, they’re always available to give me some advice,” junior Rose Lopez said.
Before midterms and finals week, the Writing and Tutoring Center faces an influx of students seeking its assistance for things like portfolios.
“We definitely get a lot more busy, a lot more traffic,” Asbury said. “Also, a lot of tutors have exam sessions, so we’ll have a time where it’s an hour, two hours where we just go over the units.”
Senior Cielo Correa-Arnold, a Spanish and biology tutor, shared that freshmen typically do not come in for tutoring sessions.
“It helped me so much, especially when I was a freshman, especially in orgo,” she said. “I feel like a lot of girls are nervous, they’re scared to make that first step to go.”
The Writing and Tutoring Center impacts more than just the students it helps, but also the tutors. Junior Andrea Willett is a French tutor and said the center has made a noticeably positive impact on her.
“I thought it was a really cool thing, because I’ve always been interested in French ever since I took it in high school and I wanted to enjoy teaching people or sharing knowledge,” she said. “I find it fulfilling, so I thought it’d be a cool thing to do.”
Sheridan sees value in the center despite the stress that finals typically present.
"It’s a lot of camaraderie. So there’s increased usage [during finals], I would say, but there’s an increased benefit even when there’s more workloads because it’s somewhere to put your stress and be a person,” Sheridan said. “There's a huge benefit to helping other people and getting help from other people.”
