The Center for Student Success is a place for students to hang out, connect to resources across campus, and study. The CSS looks forward to giving students a friendly place that has an atmosphere somewhere in-between the Campus Recreation and Miller Library. The CSS is open from 8 am – 8 pm every weekday and 4 pm – 8 pm every weekend. Sinjin-Tomas Gordillo, (Tommy), is one of the supervisors of the CSS operations and Tutor Program Coordinator. He has worked for Western New Mexico University since 2018. Tommy came to WNMU to get his degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education. The Mustang staff interviewed Mr. Gordillo about what the CSS has to offer to students.
Q: What can a student find at the CSS?
A: Students can find laptops to borrow for their courses, phone chargers, private study rooms, snacks, water, coffee, free printing, and more. We are always trying to find new ways to help make college easier for students.
Q: How many tutors are available? Where can you contact them?
A: The number of tutors changes each semester. Currently, we have eight embedded tutors but plan on expanding that by an additional 3 in the Spring. They are currently available in Math, English, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, Computer Literacy, and Psychology. You can make appointments for a face-to-face session, find their schedules, and Zoom links in the following link by clicking the tutors’ portrait:
https://css.wnmu.edu/tutors/#gsc.tab=0
Additionally, we have Smarthinking Tutors, which are Graduate/Doctorate level tutors, located in your Canvas courses. You can find them on the left sidebar near the bottom, and they can assist with Math, Science, Writing, Business, Nursing, Spanish, Computers & Technology, and Career Writing courses. Many subjects are drop-in ready 24/7.
Q: What accommodations did you make in order to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic?
A: The CSS has an occupancy limit, which recently dropped from 10 to 5 in the main lobby. We have private rooms available to accommodate a few more students. Surfaces, laptops, etc. are wiped down daily and after each use.
Q: Are there any events hosted by the CSS?
A: Yes, we currently are running a webinar series called Wednesday Workshops at 1:30 pm, which is typically short, 20min discussions about resources on campus or strategies on how to get the most out of your school year. Watch out for these events on your Mustang App and WNMU social media, and check out the CSS website to find previous ones.
While currently suspended due to COVID-19, we also frequently host all-nighters during big exams, sports viewings, movies, video game competitions, etc., and hope to get back to new and fun events as soon as we can!
