Bryan Jones

Contributing Writer

As students continue their academic journey for another semester at ESU, they must become aware of the support and resources that they have access to on and throughout the campus.

The university has several ways in which students can receive aid such as student-centered tutoring, a deep academic library and accessible professors who are often willing to go the extra mile to assist in student growth.

With the consistent evolution of the academic landscape, ESU has come to recognize the strength in empowering students. The invaluable role of peer support and how it enhances the overall impact of learning has been explored extensively, leading to a focus on peer-to-peer tutoring.

Student tutors aid their peers to promote collaborative learning, which has been proven to have a positive impact on student growth and academic success.

Through research focused on the role of effective communication, ESU’s writing center serves as an area where students can hone their communication skills, work in various workshops and find online resources that will assist in stages of the writing process. With experienced students serving as writing tutors, the center is an area in which constructive feedback is easily attainable, promoting student growth through consistent development along with peer input.

ESU has also invested in a large academic library, one that has consistently evolved to meet the ever-growing needs of students. E-books, online databases and up-to-date resources create a cornerstone of scholarly resources for students, effectively providing them with accessible information with a few clicks of a mouse.

Additionally, ESU provides students with a recreational center in which they can improve their physical fitness, socialize with students through various activities such as gaming and get a deeper feel for student life on campus. Yet another resource provided to students, the Matteoli rec center serves as an area where students can get a good workout as they socialize. However, while it is a good resource for students to use, some improvements can be made to it.

“The Rec center can become very crowded, and students often wind up waiting for machines,” said Gabriel Montalvo, senior secondary education and history major. “This resource is part of what’s offered to promote fitness, but the lack of room often leads to students having to find a gym membership elsewhere, as there isn’t enough room when the center is often so packed between classes.”

It’s a valid criticism, one that does raise the question as to what the university can do to provide students with better accessibility to rec center resources.

While ESU certainly provides a lot of academic resources for students to use, an upgrade to the rec center could certainly go a long way. Clearly, ESU is committed to maximizing student success, and the resources that are available for that are numerous. As such, resources such as the recreational center should be built up just as much to maintain a consistent quality of standards for students to expect throughout their academic careers.