ARC receives $20,000 grant

By Aliza Davner
Editor in Chief/ Lycourier


Tutors are a resource known by many, but used by few. Students struggling in classes seek the help of student “experts” in a given field, while others choose to go it alone. While the reasons for not seeking out tutoring are varied, the fact remains that the program provides a valuable resource for those students who choose to take advantage.

Recently, the Lycoming College Peer Tutoring Program received a $20,000 grant from AT&T. The contribution is aimed specifically at training peer tutors and expanding the resources available to students through peer tutoring.

“We know that some students may need extra academic assistance on occasion and AT&T wants to support their efforts,” Michael Schweder, a Lycoming alumnus and president of AT&T Pennsylvania, said.
AT&T is a multinational communications company with products and services ranging from Wi-Fi and high speed internet, to mobile communications, to television and media.
Photo Provided by Lycoming CollegeLycoming College received a $20,000 contribution from AT&T to support the College’s Peer Tutoring Program. Pictured from left are: Shanna Wheeler, assistant director of Lycoming’s Academic Resource Center; Ethan Sellers ’12; Kabongo Bukasa ’14; J. Michael Schweder ’71, president of AT&T Pennsylvania; Dan Hartsock, director of the Academic Resource Center; State Sen. Eugene Yaw ’70; Victoria Yuskaitis ’14, and Alexis Naugle ’15.
Joining Schweder in announcing the grant were: Lycoming President Dr. James Douthat; State Senator Eugene Yaw, a member of the Lycoming Class of 1970; and Jacque Bell, constituent service manager to Congressman Tom Marino, who is a member of the Class of 1985.

Dan Hartsock, director of the ARC, and Shanna Wheeler, assistant director and head of the Writing Center were in attendance. Student tutors Ethan Sellers, senior, and Victoria Yuskaitis, sophomore, and tutees Alexis Naugle, freshman, and Kabongo Bukasa, a sophomore, attended the conference as representatives of the Peer Tutoring Program.

The contribution was announced at a press conference last Thursday morning in the Wertz Conference Room. It comes as part of AT&T’s commitment to advancing education. The company has a similar grant program aimed at high schools throughout the country. In 2010, At&T philanthropic efforts contributed more than $148.2 million dollars toward educational programs.

Douthat expressed thanks and gratitude to AT&T for its support of the college’s peer tutoring program.
“The generous support from AT&T will make a real difference to those who may need guidance in transitioning from high school to the rigors of Lycoming’s academic program,” he said, “It will also serve those students seeking to improve their academic performance in certain courses.”

Recognizing Lycoming’s high graduation rate, Schweder said that “this contribution will keep those students on track for graduation and better prepare them for both personal and professional success.”

The Academic Resource Center provides peer-tutoring services covering over 30 disciplines and currently employing a large amount of students. In addition to individual tutoring sessions, many subject tutors also lead group study sessions.

Lycoming, as a liberal arts institution, requires students to participate in classes outside of their intended course of study. However, sometimes students find themselves in classes which pose a particularly large challenge and in which they require outside help.

“The college’s curriculum is designed to emphasize the intellectual skills developed through both the academic major and the broad study of other disciplines,” Douthat said.

“This grant will expand the services of the College’s Peer Tutoring Program by pairing more of our most academically successful students with other who are in the process of developing those key learning skills.”
The ARC also houses the Writing Center, a program in which student tutors meet with students to review all aspects of the writing process, from outlining to final edits. Students can bring papers to the Writing Center at any point during the writing process.

The WC currently employs 11 student tutors and is open from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m Monday through Friday, with evening hours on Sunday and a 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. shift on Thursdays.