SF State's tutoring centers are creating ways for students to prepare for new classes in the midst of phasing out the JEPET for new written requirements.

The Learning Assistance Center and the Campus Academic Research Program will be providing additional tutoring services to make sure that students are able to cope with the new Graduation Writing Assessment Requirements.

"We've expanded a lot this semester... on all fronts," said 22-year-old Bradley Roberti, a political science major and coordinator of reading, writing and study skills tutoring at CARP, a free student-run tutoring program at SF State. Their work is mainly directed towards undergraduate, first-generation and underrepresented students on campus.

Two years ago, the Academic Senate finalized GWAR, which affects new students attending SF State in Fall 2008 and all succeeding semesters.

Students are required to take designated writing classes within their major or department instead of taking JEPET or English 414 so they can learn how to apply writing skills for their specific field of study.

Roberti explained CARP plans to help students succeed in their GWAR classes by creating writing workshops. They also plan to send tutors out to GWAR-specific classes in order to find out what curriculum the teachers are using. Through their research, tutors hope to be more prepared for students who come in to receive help.

The Learning Assistance Center is a faculty-run resource center where students can receive free tutoring on subjects ranging from math and science to English and study skills. LAC supports students to become independent and successful learners using their services and have 112 students currently registered to receive help this semester.

Although the LAC is in the process of creating a GWAR workshop, they are now holding workshops for students struggling with English 104, 105, 106 and 201.

"We encourage students to sign up for these workshops," said LAC tutor Paul Humann, who is currently working towards his Masters in creative writing. "You really get a chance to develop your skills."

For the workshop, each student can receive one unit of credit if they are enrolled in lower-division writing courses.

Meetings are held twice a week, seven different times throughout the semester. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL, and English composition students are running the workshops.

"Students who enroll end up doing a lot better," he said.

Students are not only benefiting from English tutoring, but in math and science as well.
"Math has always been my weak point," said Elise De Leon, 22, a hospitality
management major.

De Leon has been going to CARP for two years now and said she has "been lucky to find a tutor that [she] can work with".

Nidia Torres, a 24-year-old biology physiology major started receiving tutoring at CARP this semester and finds it to be "very helpful".

"It's been a while since I've had to do math," Torres said. "they try to help me put it all together."