The High Library

Although one must climb flights of formidable-looking steps to enter the library, it is actually a comfortable place. The first floor houses a computer lab and other computers for research and printing. It also offers reference materials, periodicals, and a copier. The lower level (yes, more steps!) includes journal articles and videos. The best feature of the second floor is study rooms where groups can meet to quiz each other or finalize a project without disturbing others. The children's books are placed in between two sets of group study rooms, and these add to lesson plans or act as lighter reading during stressful times. If one is feeling especially adventurous, the highest level is lined with even more books and desks for studying. During finals week, it is difficult to find an open area on any floor because it is one of the best places to concentrate and finish work!

Education for Educators

Elizabethtown offers bachelor degrees in elementary education, secondary education, and music education. Students pursuing elementary education certification often concentrate in one of the following areas: early childhood, special needs, urban, or middle level. Many elementary education majors take nearly all of their classes in Nicarry Hall. The first floor contains classrooms and offices for professors and the administrative staff. Their doors are often open, and they are willing to answer questions and discuss issues.

As an elementary and special education major, I have benefited from field experiences each year. My second semester, Etown sent me to a preschool. I have also worked in an urban kindergarten class, elementary and high school learning support classes, and a fourth grade class in an affluent district. The variety, length, and depth of the placements Etown provides prepares its graduates for whatever location and level we choose to pursue.

Writing Services

Writing Services, which was once a part of the English department, is just one of the wonderful services that Learning Services has for the students of Elizabethtown College. This semester, the spring of 2008, we have writing consultants working for Writing Services. All of these consultants are students representing various majors who have gone through a rigorous process involving recommendations, and an interview, followed by training sessions each semester.

The mission of Writing Services is to make better writers, not better papers. Writing consultants can help a student at any point in the writing process, from brainstorming to editing drafts. Writing Services is open Sunday through Thursday from 7pm until 9pm for walk-in sessions. Of course, appointments can be made for any time by emailing, calling, or visiting Learning Services. Students who use Writing Services frequently tend to request a specific consultant to work with. Relationships like these both allow the student and consultant to develop a bond and to see more clearly where the student excels or requires extra help.

A student does not need to set up an appointment or come in during walk-in hours to benefit from Writing Services. Two writing consulting rooms are open and available as long as Learning Services is open, unless a session is taking place in one of the rooms. Both inside and outside of the rooms are handouts and books that students can use to better their writing. The computers in the writing consulting rooms have programs such as Inspiration, an electronic graphic organizer, and Dragon Naturally Speaking, which types as you speak, that can be used by students whenever the rooms are available.

Professors of first year students, especially EN100 professors, sometimes require their students to visit Writing Services at least once. I recommend that every student visit our services at least once in their college career. The best thing about Writing Services is that it is free for full-time students! What more could you ask for from a college?

Disability Services

Disability Services is the place to go for students who require special accommodations. In Disability Services, students with documented disabilities can find the forms necessary for getting housing accommodations, such as a single room or a double room that has a fire alarm with a strobe light. If a student requires academic accommodations, they may be spending a good deal of time in Disability Services.

Disability Services offers students the option of having a note taker and of using a program called Kurzweil. Students who have disabilities or for whom English is not a first language can request note takers for each of their classes. In confidentiality, these note takers copy notes they take in class and drop them off in Disability Services for students to pick up. For students who have trouble reading, Disability Services offers the use of a program called Kurzweil, which can read the text aloud for a student. Staff from Learning and Disability Services scan the students’ textbooks into the program and put them in a file that can be accessed by any computer on the school network that has the Kurzweil program. Instead of buying this expensive program, students can simply use the computers in Disability Services that already have Kurzweil installed.

Because Disability Services is currently housed in Learning Services, there is no stigma place upon students who walk through the doors. Even students without disabilities can benefit from some of the services offered. Tests can be proctored in Learning Services for students who require extra time or specific environments, as well as for students taking online courses. Students can also be screened by Shirley Deichert to use Irlen color overlays, which can help students with and without disabilities to read more easily. Because Disability Services and Learning Services have joined under one director, students seldom think of the two as separate entities. Together, Learning and Disabilities Services have plenty of resources for all students to use and benefit from. What more could you ask for from a college?

Learning Services

When a student mentions Learning Services, they are typically referring to the part of the Center of Student Success that houses Learning Services, Disability Services, and Writing Services. These three services, which were once separate, were united by the current and soon to retire Director of Learning and Disability Services, Shirley Deichert. I will go into more detail about Disability Services and Writing Services in other blogs.

The first thing students think of when they say Learning Services is their great tutoring service. The Learning Services website says that there, “More than 150 peer tutors are registered to help with more than 200 courses. Tutors are students who have earned an A or A- in a course, who have been recommended by their professors, and who attend on-going training.” Not every course has a tutor, but the courses that do tend to reflect student needs. On the rare occasion that a student requests a tutor for a course that doesn’t have one, Learning Services contacts professors who have taught that course in order to find possible tutors.

Learning Services offers more than just tutors though. There are a plethora of resources to help students learn effective study strategies, reading skills, and time management skills. Students especially love the free calendars that can be picked up from Learning Services. Once a week, massage therapist Matt Watson offers massages to students in Learning Services for $10 per fifteen minutes. On top of all that, Learning Services even has its own small computer lab. Of course, all of the computers in the Learning Services tutoring rooms are open for students to use as long as no one else is using the room for a session. There are plenty of students who go to Learning Services just to use a computer or even nap on a couch. What more could you ask for from a college?

Learning and Disability Services Hours

Monday – Thursday 8:30am-10:00pm

Friday 8:30am-5pm

Sunday 6pm-10pm

Studying Abroad at Elizabethtown College

I am an international student from Germany studying in Elizabethtown for two semesters. My exchange was made possible with the BCA program, which offers a lot of different opportunities for studying abroad. My experiences with Elizabethtown College are mostly positive. The small college provides opportunities to get to know students, so it is easy to adjust. Ideas between other international students can be exchanged so there is a great opportunity for new experiences and ideas. College teachers are mainly open towards excepting foreign students in their classes, so we can profit from that and improve our English skills. As Elizabethtown College makes it possible to interact with each other it is a place to feel comfortable even as a foreigner.

The Marketplace

The Marketplace is the cafeteria at Elizabethtown College. It is possible to eat there Monday through Sundays from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm. A variety of food is offered there. Besides the changing menus, there are some special options like an omelette bar, a salad bar, a sandwich bar and a grill. In addition to this, pasta and a special dish of the day is served. A variety of desserts are also offered. Free drinks are included in the meal.

The atmosphere of the marketplace is positive. Both small and large tables are arranged in two parts of the cafeteria. There it is possible to enjoy food and socialize with other students.