My time at Eastern Oregon University has been nothing short of demanding, from classes, to jobs, to personal matters, you won’t find a lack of responsibilities from me. Something that can ease the pain of each term for me can be found in the EOU Learning Center and Disability Services Office (DSO). Resources for students are essential, no matter what type of schooling you are in, but in college, and especially during a pandemic, student resources are more important than ever. These two primary student resources are still available right now and everyone should be aware of how to use them. Not only does the Learning Center and DSO provide on-campus support with a constructive learning environment, tutoring/math lab, and disability-related accommodations, but there is now an online format for students who cannot make it to campus.
In the Learning Center, you can find computers that meet social distancing guidelines, tables with clear dividers for tutoring sessions, and lab aides to assist students and help keep all areas clean. The math lab is accompanied by a math tutor between 9am-5pm with a few breaks in between, who is willing and able to walk students through their math challenges. There are a number of resources that have been made available to remote students as well, like online tutoring sessions and accommodations. Tutoring sessions can be scheduled here and eTutoring can be accessed here. Tutoring times range from person to person, depending on the tutor’s openings, but will stay between 8am-8pm, and some still offer in-person options.
The main points of contact for these resources are Taylor Smith and Ryan Scariano. These two individuals put copious amounts of time and effort into ensuring that students are always able to receive the highest quality education and resources in order to obtain success at Eastern Oregon University. Taylor Smith says to any student who is hesitant to explore the options available, “I encourage all students to check out the Learning Center! The LC is a hub for academic support services including the writing center, testing center, math lab, computer lab, subject tutoring, and the Disability Services Office. If you are interested in learning more about any of these services stop by Loso Hall 234 or visit us at our website.”
As each term starts and ends, there will be stressful classes, new concepts, end-of-term finals and capstones, and many, many questions along the way. Relief can always be found, and students need to know that there are resources available at their disposal. EOU faculty and staff want students to be successful in their time at EOU and after, so the Learning Center and DSO staff are ready to help wherever they can to make sure student goals are achieved.
Disability Services Coordinator, Taylor Smith, can be reached by email at tksmith@eou.edu or by phone at (541) 962-3081. Academic Support Coordinator, Ryan Scariano, can be reached by email at rscariano@eou.edu or by phone at (541) 962-3774.
