The former Academic Skills Center is receiving some tender love and care this year. More than just flowery language, the appellative allusions better represent long standing attitudes at the student resource formerly known as the ASC.Formerly the Academic Skills Center (ASC), the primary resource for tutoring on campus is now The Learning Commons (TLC), located on the second floor of Hege Library and open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. Students go to TLC to better their studies and academic efficiency.

In addition to the new department name, the writing tutoring area is now the Writing Studio, and the former resource room is now simply known as the Study.

The name changes have finally been implemented after 3 years of proposal, and are a better portrayal of the attitudes toward the process of the learning experience. Carol Hoppe, Rebecca Gibson, Doug Smith, Eleanor Branch, Kim Garner, and Melissa Daniels all work to better student’s writing and studies at TLC.

“It’s a place where students come and work cooperatively,” said Melissa Daniels, the director of TLC. Daniels pointed out that students work side-by-side with faculty and staff who give advice on time management, organizational efficiency, college writing and any challenges or concerns facing new and continuing college students. Daniels also said that writing help is the most common advice students seek, constituting about 90 percent of tutoring appointments.

Branch stressed that students need to feel comfortable with getting help. She also highlighted the importance of compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and School’s Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, as a major future goal for TLC.

This plan enhances student learning and judges college tutoring at high standards. Writing at a college level is difficult, but Branch is confident that TLC can help overcome the ambivalence, fears and concerns of Guilford’s students on the road to QEP fulfillment.

“The Learning Commons makes a lot more sense than the ASC, it makes it a lot more inviting,” said Sara Clawson, a first-year traditional student with years of ASC experience as an Early College student. Clawson said that she liked the new name, and also remarked that first-year students would likely feel much better about getting help from TLC with the new name.

TLC is committed to ensuring that Guilford students have the best possible instruction and help with study methods and the learning process. The new names help put students’ minds at ease about getting help and studying effectively. These changes will headline a process for TLC, aimed at QEP compliance.