The Tutorial Learning Center (TLC) has officially been renamed the Center for Academic Support (CAS) after many incidents of confusion between different acronyms and services offered.
The facility’s name change began over the summer. Decision-making concluded in July, and the rebranding quietly emerged, intended to ensure students know exactly what services they can utilize on the third floor of the Tomlinson Library.
After a lengthy process, the director of CAS, Bryce Grant, is enthusiastic about what this rebrand will mean for students seeking out academic resources on campus.
“This has been something that we have been working on for some time, and were finally able to get implemented,” said Grant. “A name that we hope will be more inclusive and inviting to students that may need help on campus, as well as a name that can encompass all of the services our department can provide, other than just tutoring.”
Previously, Grant saw a massive influx in students booking group tutoring sessions and skill workshops, which extended beyond the purview of CAS’s original name. Due to this increased demand, Grant wanted to select a new title that was reflective of CAS’s growing services.
“Last year, especially in the spring semester, we grew two new services: group tutoring and skill workshops,” said Grant. “We intend to grow these services, along with growing our traditional tutoring services, this semester and in the future.”
Since this shift in branding occurred over the summer, returning students are likely to be unfamiliar with the name change, and library workers may see more confused faces at the front desk. Last semester, many students were looking for the TLC and ended up at the Center for Teacher Education (CTL).
“That’s a lot of what my desk ends up doing: making sure people get where they’re going on campus,” said Checkout and Reserves Coordinator Erika Westhoff. “Google brings everyone to the library, and I think something we saw in the library last year was a lot of folks confused about the CTL versus the TLC.”
In an effort to distinguish itself and exemplify the services it offers, Grant described how CAS intends to get the message across about the rebranding, both to returning students and the incoming freshman class.
“Information about the new name will also be displayed around campus on the TV monitors, guest speakers in classes, ads in the Stall Street Journal and through signs and flyers,” said Grant. “Students will receive an email from the tutoring email account addressing the rebranding as well.”
With such a public rebranding, the services student tutors provide are currently under a spotlight. To best support students, these tutors must receive a “B” or higher in the courses they teach. Based on their prior experiences and expertise, a lack of visibility and utilization of tutoring services on campus is something peer tutors recognized.
“I’ve been a tutor for two full school years and I’ve been a physics tutor,” said physics major Ethan Otto. “I definitely, through my experience, think people are underutilizing the tutoring here.”
For group tutoring, some of the most popular offerings include some of the hardest subjects. However, for individualized tutoring, Otto notes a lack of usage in his particularly difficult tutoring specialty.
“I feel like not enough people are consistently getting support and help when they need it,” said Otto. “Even then, I know there are plenty of people who aren’t even getting help at all, and to me, it’s just a little unfortunate. As someone who tutors probably one of the hardest subjects, people just don’t utilize the tools.”
Additionally, Otto noted that several students in his physics courses struggled with the course content. When he suggested tutoring as an option, those he spoke with avoided asking for further assistance.
“I’ll encounter a lot of people who need help and I’ll suggest tutoring. Then they’re very apprehensive,” said Otto. “For whatever reason, it seems like there’s some sort of stigma with tutoring. It’s just interesting because it’s something that I can say does help. I’ve worked with people and it’s their letter grades that go up, not just a couple points.”
From the perspective of the library’s front desk, Erika Westhoff noted that the stigma Otto associated with tutoring was not something she previously encountered. Last year, she saw a greater increase in tutoring services used on campus. However, this increase mostly fell to classes that covered essential learning requirements, such as English Composition.
Alongside Grant, Westhoff expressed excitement about the new brand identity for CAS and stressed the importance of its services focusing on the needs of the student body.
“I’m excited to see support in the title. That’s my biggest takeaway, honestly,” said Westhoff. “I’m also excited for the name differentiation between the two acronyms that were confusing people last year.”
