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Oquist: CCACSA Provides Complete Support

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Oquist: CCACSA Provides Complete Support

Graduate and former LSU swimming & diving team member Caley Oquist attended the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes’ annual Drive-In Tutor Conference back in April, writing about her experience at the event and getting a behind-the-scenes look at how the center helps all student-athletes.

As a former student-athlete I never truly grasped the concept of how much support we had, not only athletically- but academically. We are showered with support every day from the university but especially from the support of our Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes.

One of the most useful advantages that the student-athletes receive at CCACSA is tutors. Louisiana State University provides countless of tutors for the student-athletes to use, no matter the class. There are roughly 1300 tutor appointments made weekly. This past weekend the staff of LSU CCACSA got to share their knowledge with fellow Louisianans at our Second Annual Tutor Conference entitled ‘XLR8 Driving Student Success.’

Dorothy Kemp, Manager of Tutorial Programs and Learning Specialist stated, “This year, we developed a special session called ‘So You Want to Be a Tutor,’ that targeted perspective tutors to provide them with information about the tutoring opportunities at CCACSA. It was very well received and we were happy to inform everyone about the great things we do at CCACSA.“

This was a great opportunity for the attendees to learn more about how our tutor system works and the thought process behind it. The presenters were able to share their ideas, success and failures that they have learned along the way in order to achieve the best possible outcome.

Lydia Dorsey, tutorial coordinator and learning specialist explained the purpose of the day saying, “The XLR8 Conference provides an environment in which both seasoned professionals and those just beginning their roles in the field of education can interface, network and learn from one another. It is so important for our Center to provide these professional development opportunities to our tutors, as the resources we invest in our staff are, in turn, re-invested in our student-athletes.”

During the day there were several different presenters that got to share their advice, knowledge and tips on how to interact academically with student-athletes. It was a great opportunity for not only visitors to gain some knowledge, but also our own staff.

Learning specialist and presenter Carli Faulkner said, “After watching one of my fellow staff members express her passion for wanting to know the student-athletes personally and helping them succeed in all aspects was so reassuring for me. I am in the right profession and work with an amazing team.”

While watching the presentations myself and seeing the general desire for student-athlete success across the spectrum, I came to appreciate, even more so, the academic factor of my collegiate career. Knowing that from top to bottom, the academic staff helps their student-athletes by teaching and hiring the best tutors which is reassuring. We are not only privileged with an amazing academic building, but it is filled with incredible people.
 
The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes is a 54,000 square foot facility comprised of an academic affairs, student affairs and an information technology team, serving more than 530 student-athletes. The purpose is to provide an all-inclusive, student-centered support structure for all student-athletes from matriculation, through graduation and life beyond.