By Mariah Bennett | Staff Writer
As midterm season continues, the Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE) will have extended hours Tuesday through Thursday. According to office manager Sharon Hand, CASE will be open until 8 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. on these days.
The center is a department inside the Paul L. Foster Success Center aiming to empower students to find effective academic and personal paths. Through learning strategies, self-management tools and holistic support, CASE plans to fulfill these goals.
CASE offers multiple resources, including the Tutoring Center, academic mentoring and coaching, the Learning Lab and supplemental instruction.
De’Jane Tookes, supplemental instruction program manager, said special snacks and drinks will be provided for students who attend during midterm season.
“We typically have chips and granola bars and things down here,“ Tookes said. “Last year, we did pizza one day, we did a hot chocolate bar one day — just anything to make sure that students are comfortable.”
The center’s study commons — located in the west wing of the Sid Richardson Building basement — features a free coffee bar open to all students throughout the entire year.
“If you don’t want to spend money at Starbucks, you can stay down here and get a coffee,” Tookes said.
Houston senior Doreen Euler said she studies in the CASE study commons from time to time and takes advantage of the free coffee bar.
“I just use [CASE study commons] as a study space, and I like that they provide a lot of white boards for studying,” Euler said. “I like that they have snacks and drinks.”
Euler said she was happy to hear about the hour extension during midterms.
“For me, I like to study late, so I think it’s nice that they’re opening it up later instead of having to leave at 5,” Euler said.
Tookes said she recommends students study early for midterms so they aren’t cramming a lot of information last minute. She also said they should try utilizing on-campus resources so they aren’t in overdrive the entire semester.
“A lot of SI leaders host midterm reviews that are typically two hours,” Tookes said. “It varies from whenever the midterm will be.”
Tookes also said the center has helpful resources like the Tutoring Center, which is free for all students and includes one-on-one, drop-in and group sessions as well as YouTube videos.
Rochester, Minn., sophomore Brady Zimmerman is a tutor and front desk employee at the Tutoring Center. He said students should not be afraid to come in and ask for help, and they can make an appointment anytime.
“We are here all the time and love to help,” Zimmerman said.
Boulder, Colo., junior Daniel “DJ” Coe is a course-specific tutor at the Tutoring Center and said the most helpful thing for midterms is being able to study throughout the semester.
“Having experienced students within the same disciplines that they’re studying that they can reach out to and really spend time digging into material with is really, really helpful,” Coe said.
Coe also said office hours — which are focused on studying for classes — have been useful. He said he uses supplemental instruction in his chemistry class.
“I think the advantage I really see in the Tutoring Center is that you get less expertise than you would from a professor or a grad student, but you get students with a lot closer view of the things that you’re working on in your classes,” Coe said. “It’s easier to find perspectives on the work that you’re doing that are close to your own.”
Tookes said other resources like the Office of Access and Learning Accommodation are available for students who are in need of testing accommodations. She said CASE is all about making sure students utilize whichever resources work best for them.
“We all work to make sure that whatever learning style you have, we find the resource that best fits that,” Tookes said. “So never feel like you’re just stuck in one place. We have a spot for everybody here.”
