COLUMN: Math tutors provide help for struggling students

Viviana Ramirez

Have you ever spent a sleepless night over a 50-pound math book, hopelessly trying to figure out one of the countless problems assigned to you by a merciless math professor?

Do you have so many math problems to do that you wonder if you will figure them out in time for graduation?

Well, here is the solution you have been waiting for – math tutoring.

That’s right folks, with free drop-in math tutoring in the Taggart Student Center, you will never go without sleep because of math again.

The drop-in tutoring at the TSC is in Room 304A, Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Sometimes it really helps to have extra help and a different resource,” said tutor Alicia Wall, a second bachelor student majoring in animal science.

The math tutoring was originally set up under the math department, but was taken over by the Resource Center, adding it to their program and making it the only math tutoring program on campus.

So, what classes can you get help with? Math 0900 through 2250 and Stats 1040, 2000 and 3000.

“I’ve had calculus before,” said Melissa Green, a sophomore majoring in biological engineering. “I just need help remembering all the little steps that I forget.”

Although math is not the most popular subject, it is a skill that we will use for the rest of our lives.

“I think the reason why so many people dislike math is because they don’t want to take the time to learn it,” said Danilo Bueno, a sophomore majoring in math.

Bueno is an aspiring math tutor. He hopes that once he becomes a tutor, he will gain better skills to help him in a future career as a secondary education math teacher.

How can you become a tutor and help your fellow classmates?

It’s easy. If you’ve finished one of the classes with a B+ or better, and have a 3.2 overall GPA, you can go and get information and an application at the Resource Center. You will also have to take a tutor training class. But if you love math, it will all be worth it, especially since the wage starts at $6.50/hour.

Viviana Ramirez is a freshman majoring in journalism. Comments can be sent to viv_ramirez@yahoo.com.