The new Academics Commons Building, scheduled for completion in December 2013, will have many benefits for students academically. In particular, several student-tutoring services will be housed on the same floor.

The second floor, dedicated to academic services, will house existing programs such as the Center for Writing Excellence, the Mathematics Learning Center and University Advising Services, said Director of the University Success Center Rob Koch.

“What’s going to change in the new building is that everyone is sharing the same spaces,” Koch said. “When you come onto the second floor, you’ll see that the writing center shares space with the math learning center and tutorial services. The idea is that if we’re all involved in support, then we all need to be able to communicate clearly and easily with each other.”

University Advising Services, previously known as the Center for Academic Advising and Retention Services, underwent a name change to reflect this joint effort of success, Koch said.

“Retention is the business of everyone at this institution,” Koch said. “The old name suggested that the job of retention rested with one department. Advising is one of the first points of contact for our students, so it must be nurtured and grown properly and carefully.”

The new First Year Experience Program, beginning Fall 2014, will also be located in the Academic Commons Building, Koch said.

“The First Year Experience program will integrate learning communities or the (first-year) seminar with freshman advising and a tracking system that we want to use to help monitor how our students are doing,” Koch said. “We would share that information among the students’ advisers, FYE instructors and their general education professors, as well as other offices that have a need to know, so that we can help students get the support they need faster.”

In addition to academic programs, the Academic Commons Building will also have areas for students to work in, Koch said.

“There are five study rooms,” Koch said. “One is dedicated specifically to math. There’s also a 22-seat computer lab and a 36-seat classroom where we’ve put everything on wheels so we can configure it for different settings.”

Darius Nelson, sophomore, appreciates the help given with these programs, he said.

“I use the writing center for my English classes,” Nelson said. “When you have things like research papers and essays due in class, it’s good to get an outside perspective on how to make them better.”

He also likes idea of having all the programs on one floor, Nelson said.

“With everything being in once place, it will be less of a walk,” Nelson said. “You won’t have to find the math center, and then find the writing center. If you need help with more than one thing, it will all be in the same place.”

Joseph Cole, a senior, said he admires that UNA offers so many services to help students.

“I actually work for the math center, and I think it’s good that the school invests time, effort and resources into making sure that their students are successful,” Cole said. “Ultimately, we’re all here to get an education. Some of us just need a little bit more help than others.”

Getting help will be more convenient with everything being in one place, Cole said.

“It will be easier for teachers to refer students there,” Cole said. “If they’ve gone there for help in one subject, then they know exactly where it is. You don’t have to try to send them to different places, and they can see that everything is there and have a better idea of what all they can get help with.”