Workshops are available in the center during the week.
By Mitchell Gawlik
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The integrated reading and writing center provides tutoring to students 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday in the round on the first floor of Loftin Student Center.
Previous Friday sessions were on the fourth floor of Moody Learning Center.
The center began using Loftin Feb. 1.
INRW Coordinator Yon Hui Bell said Dr. Sobia Khan, dean of academic success, suggested the move since the writing center also provides Friday tutoring on the fourth floor of Moody Learning Center.
“It allowed us to spread where we provided services,” Bell said.
Bell said about 20 tutoring sessions are scheduled per day in the INRW center in Room 118 of Gonzales Hall.
The INRW center had three tutoring sessions Feb. 15 and Feb. 22 in Loftin, she said.
Bell said she felt good about the results and expects student turnout to improve.
“The center won’t just deny tutoring services to students if the day’s slow,” she said.
Friday sessions are there for students who need “more flexibility,” she added.
Two tutors are available Fridays.
According to this college’s website, the center’s goal is to provide academic support to students taking integrated reading and writing courses, which prepare them for college-level courses.
These sessions also are open to students enrolled in ENGL 1301, Composition 1, for courses and English-as-a-second language courses.
Bell said the main difference between the INRW and writing center is that the INRW center helps students who are enrolled in developmental courses in writing and reading.
Work-study Samaria Williams, American Sign Language and interpreter sophomore, said in a Feb. 22 interview that tutoring on Friday allows opportunities for students who cannot come in Monday-Thursday.
“Some people can’t come during the rest of week, and I’m more than happy to help,” Williams said.
Williams said of three appointments, two students showed up for tutoring. Paralegal studies freshman Eva Balderas was one of Williams’ appointments.
Balderas said she scheduled a Friday appointment because she needed help with her paper for English Professor Barbara Cruz’s ENGL 1301 class.
“I’m not good with commas, and they have workshops that help,” she said.
Balderas said she appreciated the one-on-one sessions.
“I don’t have to worry about someone asking a question that makes me feel like an idiot for not knowing,” she said.
Bell said she wants to continue Friday tutoring in the fall before deciding if it is worth the effort.
“It’s a work in progress,” she said. “A business knows its first year won’t be the same as their second.”
The INRW center’s hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
The center provides an open computer lab and study space.
Skills-based workshops are offered to students enrolled in an integrated reading and writing courses, but other students may attend if space is available.
The workshops are 50-60 minutes long and cover subjects such as capitalization, sentence fragments, verb tense and comma splices.
Students can find a copy of the schedule in Room 118 of Gonzales Hall or www.twitter.com/inrwcentersac and www.instagram.com/inrwcentersac.
Students can make an appointment by phone or in person. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are taken if a tutor is available.
Small tutoring groups of two are allowed as long as students are working on the same assignment.
For more information, stop by the center or call 210-486-1616.
