Lower level of Briggs to house Academic Support Center

Matt Knippel

(Lauren Semivan)

With new general education requirements in place at Lawrence, and new standards to meet, the Academic Support Center is undergoing many changes. The center will be relocating to accommodate for the changing needs of students. By moving its services to Briggs Hall, as well as adding new services, the center will be better equipped to deal with students’ needs.

According to Professor Hanes, who is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the new GERs, “The skills required for the competency requirements are fundamental to the study of liberal arts…and success in any discipline or profession.” The new requirements will take effect this year, and are focusing on the areas of writing, speaking, and quantitative analysis. Hanes continues, “The new Teaching and Learning Center is being adapted because of the new GERs for building competency, focusing on life skills and competency to keep learning.”

The new Teaching and Learning Center will combine the already constructive services of the current Academic Support Center and add new equipment. A dozen computers incorporating software for quantitative analysis and word processing will be available, as well as video cameras and tape recorders for speech recording and analysis. The new services will also offer speech tutors and a part time speech consultant, Lawrence history professor Monica Rico.

With nearly 2200 Lawrence student sessions logged at the Academic Support Center last academic year, the Writing Lab and College Place have established themselves as a beneficial facet of the Lawrence experience. More than sixty percent of freshmen during the last term of the 2000-2001 academic year utilized the writing lab. With 38 trained staff, the lab not only provides help with editing papers, but as tutor Anna Corey puts it, “The goal is to assist with the writing process, and become a better writer.” Dean Gajewski stated also that the Academic Support Center was always and will always be open to faculty as well as students, “[The lab] is there to consult on ways to develop skills.”

College place offers services that include, as overseer Dean Gajewski states, “Addressing academic issues, such as time management, note taking, reading skills, and tutoring.” Gajewski adds, “If there is not a tutor for your subject, we can find one.” Both offices are currently located on the south side of Brokaw in the lower level, but will soon be moving to the lower level of Briggs.

The move of the Academic Support Center to the Teaching and Learning Center in first floor Briggs is slated for the beginning of winter term, but they won’t be the only ones moving there. The renovation of the area of first floor Briggs accommodated not only three rooms for the Teaching and Learning Center, but also allocated space across the hall for Academic Services, currently located in Raymond house, and the Education department, currently centered in Mursell House.

The move is expected to cause no down time in the operation of the Academic Support Center. “The new area will be more adequate for the new services,” said Gajewski about the move. With expanded facilities for the students and staff of the Lawrence community, the new Teaching and Learning Center will aid in the mastery of competencies, a principal goal of the liberal arts education. “They really have nice facilities designed,” said Hanes, “and I’m excited about the move.