U.'s 'Wheel' rolls into motion

As applications for room retention start rolling into the University's residential life offices later this week, student leaders hope the "Wheel" program -- which aims to improve academic services in residence -- will make them roll faster. In addition to administrative efforts to attract students to campus living, the Wheel, which moves tutoring, training and advising programs into dormitories, represents a major student-led effort to convince their peers to choose University housing. The Wheel consists of math, writing, information-technology and library tutoring programs that were consolidated into one body last September. It will also be part of the added programming included in the new college house plan, which will organize the University's residences into 12 houses starting next fall. The program got its name from a general feeling among faculty members and students that the idea of bringing academic support into residences was a way of "reinventing the wheel," according to English Professor Al Filreis, who chairs the Residential Faculty Council. "We weren't creating anything new," said Filreis, who serves as an informal adviser to the student-run Wheel. "We were essentially organizing a bunch of projects that were already in place and extending the notion." Officials are currently testing several additional programs, such as career advising, which is being piloted in the Van Pelt College House. Since the program is almost completely student-run -- students tutor, coordinate and interview prospective advisers -- the program's leaders say they are looking for many more students to participate. "There's so much going on in residences right now," said College junior Myra Lotto, coordinator of the electronic writing-advising program, who added that a slew of job opportunities will open up in the college houses next fall. "We really need upperclassmen who know what they're doing to stay in residences," Lotto added. Since the college house plan will make all residences multi-year, all advising programs which are not available in the high rises will be expanded to serve all residences. Currently, only the writing advising program is available in the high rises. Engineering junior Laura Kornstein, who coordinates the math advising program, said she is in the process of hiring five additional math advisers for this semester in order to meet the rising demand for math tutors and prepare for the program's expansion next fall. Kornstein first brought math support into the residences last fall by assigning undergraduate tutors to specific dorms. Under the previous system, tutors traveled among several locations. After conducting a survey, she found that the number of students seeking math support last semester more than tripled from last spring. More than 1,200 of these support requests occurred in residential math advising centers. Kornstein attributed the program's success to the ease and flexibility students found in having a tutor come into their own residence. College senior Steven Morgan Friedman, who created the library advising program the summer before his junior year, said he's available to offer support "24 hours a day." Friedman said his program will also hire additional advisers -- to assist students with library and computer research -- bringing the total to one for each of the 12 college houses next fall. The information-technology support program, which made its debut in residences last fall, will also be expanding in preparation for the college house plan. Information technology advisor Katherine Wu, an Engineering freshman, said the program will expand its 140-student staff to include managerial positions to coordinate the computer support in each residence. Friedman said his library advising program -- along with the other academic support programs -- should "motivate students to move on campus."