By Joseph Ford/reporter
The SE Campus math resource center, or lab, had about 17,700 visitors the first nine weeks of the fall semester.
This number is expected to grow much bigger in the next few weeks, lab manager Angela Berryhill said. The center is located in ESEE 1112 in what used to be the old writing lab.
Many students, like Amy Ryan, say they have found the math lab useful.
“The math lab is great because it never fails to help me with my math problems,” she said. “It’s nice to have support, especially since it’s my freshman year. I’m usually not that good in math. So having help is amazing.”
Patrick Roth has been impressed with the staff.
“The math lab is a great tool that helps to further my education,” he said. “The tutors are very helpful, kind and wonderful.”
Student Lauren Pennuell has used the center’s resources as a steppingstone in her academic travels.
“The math lab has really helped me survive my remedial classes in order to get to my algebra course,” she said. “The tutors are very helpful. When you first get there, you can feel the stress beaming in the room. Math is not my subject, but it’s nice to have a helping hand guide me through my homework.”
While in the center, students have access to free math tutoring, math textbooks, solution manuals to the math textbooks, calculators, computers, math practice tests, study materials, test reviews, calculator assistance and Accuplacer assistance.
Students away from school can access the lab’s website at semathlab.wikispaces.com, where they can find links to the Jim Bolen Math Competition, fun math news, practice tests for noncredit classes and much more.
The math lab is open 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.
Berryhill said the lab can bring out math skills many students don’t realize they have.
“I would say everybody is good at math whether they realize it or not,” she said. “They just need to have the right support and the right discipline to do the homework.”