By Angel Godfrey | May 1, 2023
Sign directing students to the math tutoring department.
Photo Credit: ASI Signage
The math tutoring department here is the worst department I have seen in history. Why is it that everytime you schedule an appointment, there are either very few appointments or none at all? It is really not fair. Unfortunately, that is the only way we are able to schedule an appointment. There are no walk-ins available. I would think that a university like this, and with all the money we seem to have, we would have necessary resources available. Not only that, the signs do not match up at the so-called department.
Taconic 221 is the supposed A+ math tutoring department headquarters. The signs do not match up. Instead, it leads to an advisor’s office. Something needs to be fixed as soon as possible. I myself have been struggling in my statistics class and my professor is not available outside of class 24/7. It was so hard to find an appointment from the start of this spring semester till around mid-March. From the end of March till the end of this semester, it was a mess. Now I am struggling and I am left with no corners to turn.
During the rare times I was able to schedule an appointment with the tutor, about 80% of the time they were canceled. Now, I am not blaming the tutor at all. I understand people have things to do. At the very least, the school should have done something about it.
Why am I, as a student, paying an academic excellence fee of $525.00 per year just to not get the service? Again, this is not fair. There must be a change for future semesters. I do not want others to go through the same thing I went through. If there is something at this school that needs funding, it is the math tutoring department. Hiring more tutors will help because it gives more available time slots.
In the meantime, if students want to know more about other resources on campus, here are a few: www.bartleby.com is an optional tool for students. It requires a subscription, but the benefits are that it has other subjects available as well along with math. Ranging from business to social sciences, the tutors are available 24/7. No need for pesky appointments and cancellations.
Another great tool is www.khanacademy.com. This is also an online tool for different math subjects and the steps are thoroughly explained. Perhaps this may be a better and affordable tool for students.
A last option is Youtube, but personally, this is just another lecture class. The person explaining it is talking in front of a screen and some people might find that difficult to follow along. If you are one of those students who prefer practicing math in person, then of course a professor’s office hours is the best bet. Something is better than nothing.
I sincerely hope this school can give us students better resources. Unreliability is out of our hands. Many students complain about the lack of resources we have. Elementary statistics has a more variety of tutors but statistics for sociologists is very limited. I myself have tried every corner I could take, only to end up at a dead end. If the math department is in need of tutors, then they need to start now. But if this keeps happening, it is time to take action. I say we sign a petition demanding another tutor available to students. Maybe if they listen to us students, they might see that we are struggling. I don’t care if they hire a clown on a pogo stick who is good at math. Get someone else to do it.