StuCo Discusses Student Support

At Student Council’s meeting last week, Dean of Academic Affairs Karen Geary presented her comprehensive plan for a new academic support system that includes establishing a “learning commons,” appointing a learning specialist and providing resources for identified students who would benefit from additional academic support.

Geary’s proposal stated that while students benefitted from their one-to-one experiences with their instructors directly, there was a need for a “greater variety of supplementary resources.” The learning commons would be a designated area, ideally in the library, for students to study, work and seek extra help.

As a part of the commons, Geary proposed that an Academic Support Coordinator would be available for students who need assistance with their study skills. She also suggested “enhancements” for the Peer Tutoring program, which included more comprehensive tutor applications, tutor training, multi-discipline instructor representation at peer tutoring and day student remote access to peer tutoring.

“[StuCo] as a whole was receptive to the changes we proposed and asked good questions about what we had to say.”

Geary presented her proposal to the Peer Tutoring club and the head tutors before StuCo. After that meeting, they provided her with suggestions and recommended she remove the clause regarding tutor applications and instructor presence at the club.

Head Tutor and senior Ben Hogoboom explained that the relaxed and casual atmosphere at Peer Tutoring is one of its greatest assets. “We keep a really open space where one second a person could be learning math from someone in 510, and the next they could be teaching biology to a prep trying to adjust to Exeter life,” he said. Hogoboom said that the application-only tutor system or faculty presence could “disrupt the welcoming and free-flowing nature of the tutoring that happens,” which he, other tutors and attendees found to be contrary to the ideology that surrounds Harkness teaching and learning.

However, when Geary presented her proposal to StuCo last week, she had not edited the proposal or made any changes based on the suggestions of the head tutors, though she mentioned that they had been in support of the proposal on the whole. The peer tutors said that this was a misrepresentation of the feedback they had provided her. This week at StuCo, Hogoboom presented his recommended amendments to the proposal.

Senior and StuCo President Benj Cohen said that he and much of StuCo agreed with the majority of the proposal. He praised the strength of Exeter’s current academic support system and accredited Peer Tutoring for much of its success. Even so, he said that “having more resources in general [would] augment [a program that] is already really strong and vibrant,” and that having a learning commons at the Academy is a necessary addition to provide more support for students. That said, Cohen noted the importance of addressing the Head Tutors’ concerns. “I’m really glad that the Peer Tutors came forward and spoke about their feelings about the proposal so that we could help them get heard,” he said.

Senior and Policy Committee Head Emily Lemmerman agreed. “It was a really strong move by [the Executive Board] to have a head tutor come in and talk about his ideas. It was really interesting and enlightening to hear that perspective,” she said.

StuCo took a vote to amend the proposal. It was decided that teachers should be available for extra help and academic support but should not be involved in the peer tutoring process. After the change was voted upon, the group unanimously approved the rest of the proposal, which involves a multifaceted implementation of a variety of different support systems, all of which aim to aid students in their academic challenges.

Hogoboom was satisfied with the vote and grateful for the amendment after feeling misrepresented and disregarded during Geary’s initial proposal presentation in StuCo. “[StuCo] as a whole was receptive to the changes we proposed and asked good questions about what we had to say. In the end, the vote reflected the sentiment of the tutors: we liked the idea of the specifics, but there was a large issue with a few of the specifics,” Hogoboom said.

After the proposal was passed, StuCo committees presented their reports. Lemmerman and the other Policy Committee Head, senior Sachin Holdheim, explained that their meeting with the faculty to present their dress code proposal had been pushed.

The faculty have moved the meeting to the tentative date of May 5 because their meetings this week have been consumed by unexpected discussions of discipline cases. The proposal is still on track to be presented and voted on by the end of the year to change the official dress code for the 2015-2016 school year.