PAGE 4D
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ACADEMICS
Campus offers variety of tutoring programs
Students can get help in all subjects
KYLE HICKS
@udkylehicks
Whether students consider themselves "just not a math person" or need an extra pair of eyes on a research paper, there is someone on campus who can help through the different tutoring options available.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT &
ACCESS CENTER (AAAC)
Students get assistance with a homework assignment at one of the campus tutoring programs. The AAAC, the Writing Center and the Help Room in the mathematics department offer services to students.
WRITING CENTER
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Through the AAAC, students can join a small group of no more than four people all enrolled in the same class. Group members decide on a time and place to meet throughout the semester and get help from students hired by the center. Each group pays $75 per course. The AAAC is located on the first floor of Strong Hall.
To become a tutor through the AAAC, you need to have earned a B or higher in the course selected to tutor, provided you are currently enrolled in 6 or more credit hours. Applications are on the University website and a faculty/instructor reference is required.
The Writing Center guides students through forming ideas for an essay, restructuring format and checking grammar.
"You don't even have to have a draft," said Katie Elliot, Writing Center assistant director.
Open every day but Saturday, students can either make an appointment 30 minutes prior through the phone, online or in person, or just stop by. Students can send in writing and receive feedback through email.
To become a helper in the Writing Center, students must take ENGL 400, Teaching and Tutoring Writing. Both undergraduate and graduate students can apply.
MATH HELP ROOM
The Help Room, located in Strong Hall 323, is a resource for students enrolled in Math 002 and Math 101. It is free, open to anyone, and there is no need for an appointment. Lindsey Deaver, an advising specialist in the mathematics department, said students can stop by anytime during
the week while the office is open and receive help on homework or prepare for an exam. Deaver said that this fall semester's hours
of operation have changed to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
Join the Help Room team
by applying online through the University's employment page. Applications for fall tutors are accepted in the spring and successful
Edited by Madison Schultz
completion of Calculus II is required to apply.
Major decisions: Choosing the right major takes time
ACADEMICS
LIZ KUHLMANN
@LizKuhlmannUDK
For incoming freshmen, the task of picking an area of study can seem daunting. Many enter college with the idea a major must be locked down by their freshman year, and as a result, struggle with the decision. Contrary to this popular belief, academic advisor Hall Alexander said he does not believe it is important to choose a major right away.
"When I look back on [my own decision process], picking the major from the get-go was not necessarily the most important part," Alexander said. "It was finding something that I excelled at naturally. So it really comes down to what you're interested in, and it can be kind of an exploratory process."
Should a student be in the deciding process, Alexander and his fellow academic advisor John Nelson-Hronek compiled a list of six basic things students should
complete in order to help them narrow down what they would like to study.
1. Get familiar with the KU Core: The KU Core was implemented last fall and establishes six educational goals for all undergraduates that are designed to crop fundamental skills and build a background of knowledge. The curriculum, however, is not a designated set of courses, and allows for flexibility and exploration, which is why Nelson-Hronek said the program has been incredibly useful for students still figuring out what they want to do.
planning and exploration. The instructors of the course provide students with excellent connections, Alexander said, and help make campus seem a little smaller.
2. Enroll in University 101: The course is an orientation seminar and gives students an opportunity to get acclimated to resources, expectations and opportunities at the University. According to Nelson-Hronek, the course allows students to find their niche by focusing on preparation, academic
3. Meet with an advisor: It is important to meet with one's designated advisor twice
"To an average freshman you think that careers are four years down the road an you don't care. But that's not how you should think about it."
HALL ALEXANDER Academic advisor
annually, before enrollment. Nelson-Hronek said. Oneon-one advising is always helpful for students who are either unsure what they want to major in or wish to change their major. Advisors evaluate the pros and cons of options presented, and guide students in the direction the
student wishes to go.
4. Explore the University Career Center and catalog: Nelson-Hronek said he often referred deciding students to the career center, which offers a variety of assessments to test one's aptitude on different variables and provides fields or industries the student would do well in based on the scores.
"To an average freshman, you think that careers are four years down the road and you don't care," Alexander said. "But that's not how you should think about it. Life exists after KU, so start planning for it early."
majors or courses they find interesting. Following that, employers from all over the Kansas City area are brought to the University to talk with students about potential careers. According to Alexander, the fairs are a great place to figure out what some options are that perhaps had not been previously considered.
5. Check out the majors fair and the career fair: The University has an annual majors and career fair — a perfect place for students who are wishing to broaden their horizons on specific areas of study. At the majors fair, every department and school is represented so deciding students can visit with faculty about potential
ACADEMICS
Students hunt for cheap textbooks
ASSOCIATED PRESS
It's the middle of summer and while many other students are hanging out at the beach or preoccupied with jobs, Elizabeth Rodriguez is emailing instructors for information about the books she will need as a junior this fall at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
The strategy is much simpler for Cal State, San Marcos, senior Jeffrey "J." J. Gutowski. He's stopped buying books altogether, unless he is convinced he needs them to pass a course, and then he will share a classmate's text or rent one online.
Her method is to find the books early and cheaply through online sites such as Amazon.com and EBay rather than paying full price for texts that can cost upward of $300 at the school bookstore.
Such pushbacks to the soaring costs of textbooks
As colleges look to reduce the overall cost of education, many are centering efforts on course materials, which, according to Cal State officials, sets an average student back more than $1,000 annually.
have not gone unnoticed by officials at California State University, which began a new effort recently to offer more affordable options such as digital textbooks, rentals, buy-back programs and, most significantly, incentives for faculty to redesign courses to use low-cost or no-cost alternatives to textbooks.
and supplies, adding about 11 percent to the $13,200 in overall tuition and fees. And at California community colleges, many students can pay more for textbooks than for course fees, officials said.
That's an 18 percent addition to an undergraduate's annual $5,472 tuition. According to the UC website, students pay about $1,500 for textbooks
The 23-campus Cal State system is also leading a joint endeavor with the University of California and community colleges to develop an online library of free textbooks in 50 popular courses.
A national student survey released in January by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Foundation found that 65 percent of respondents said they didn't purchase a textbook because it was too expensive — even though most feared that their grades would suffer.
Making course materials more affordable has become key to increasing student success, said Gerry Hanley, Cal State's assistant vice chancellor for academic technology services.
Both Nelson-Hronek and Alexander agree there is no set equation to figuring out what one wishes to study. The human mind changes drastically between ages 18 and 22, and the brain does not stop maturing until 25, which breeds indecision. It is not uncommon for a student to change their minds.
"My goal is to cut costs by 50 percent for all students, said Hanley, who oversees the initiative that helps faculty find low-cost teaching materials. "My real desire is
to make materials free for everyone, but I recognize that the creation of content and publication is real work."
Students saved an estimated $30 million total in 2013-14 in Cal State bookstores by using digital textbooks, renting print copies, buying used ones and using other sources, Hanley said.
"Take chances," Nelson Hronek said. "Take a course you might not know much about. There isn't a perfect formula to the process, which is ultimately why it's so awesome. The fear of not knowing is what makes exploring, exploring. It's what makes college, college. The aspect of taking a chance or risk on something."
A student looking for the intermediate accounting textbook at the Dominguez Hills bookstore, for example, would find a new copy for $318.75 and a used one for $239.25. Renting a new copy would cost $191.25 and a used copy $153, while a digital version of the text costs $59.49. Last spring, about 50,000 digital textbook titles were available to Cal State students and faculty systemwide.
Despite the growth of digital formats, the trend is for students to rent hardbacks, campus store manager Brian Lacey said.
6. Know your values:
According to Nelson-
Hronek, students must know
their values so they know
what they want to get out of
the University and life.
"You get out the work you put in here," Alexander said. "You can get a Harvard-level education here at KU if that's the amount of work you put into your studies. You're in the driver's seat of your own education."
Edited by Casey Hutchins
Love What You Do Hiring Full Time and Part Time Team Members
H.E. Bailey Tnpk @ Hwy 53
Walters, OK 73572
For directions call:
580-875-3992
Above Average Starting Pay $8.90 hr
- Health Care Coverage
- We offer the best in benefits!
- FREE Life Insurance
- Paid Vacation/Sick Leave
- Tuition Reimbursement
- 401k Plan
- Employee Assistance Program
- Upward mobility!
Apply in person or online at ezgostores.com
.
genovese ITALIAN RESTAURANT 941 massachusetts st 785.842.0300 www.genoveseitalian.com Private Dining & Catering Available.