The Paul McGhee Division - McGhee Matters October 2011 Edition

New Building Offers Plenty of Student Amenities

Already chock-full of resources, the new SCPS building at 7 East 12th Street is about to get even better for McGhee students. Swipe-card access to the fifth floor lounge will soon be installed, providing exclusive access to SCPS students to use the large space to convene, as well as two state-of-the-art study rooms and the computer lab. Students already can use the lounge, check out the vending machines, or swing by the SCPS Office of Student Services for flyers and brochures—all located on the fifth floor. The computer lab, situated next to the lounge, recently opened to students who have an updated ID card. It offers 16 Mac computers and plenty of space beside each one to keep a book or two open. There is currently no printing on-site, but this option is being explored as a possibility. The two study rooms are still works-in-progress. When completed, these rooms will allow several students to plug in their laptops and to project their screens onto a large screen. As an added bonus, the SCPS Student Council is hosting a monthly refreshment and coffee gathering the first Tuesday of every month from 5 to 6:30 p.m. A large flat screen television will soon show announcements to keep lounge users well informed of all SCPS student matters.

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Tutoring Service Provides Academic Advantages for McGhee Students

A variety of words and phrases pop-up when the McGhee Tutoring Service is mentioned—developmental, academic support, expertise, review, and one-on-one assistance, to name a few. Its services span all of McGhee's curricula and help students to improve their grades, review some of that easily forgotten high school math, get the initial phases of a paper underway, or further polish an international student's English language skills. “There are a lot of different needs and a lot we can do for students who seek us out,” said writing tutor and adjunct instructor Michael Collins. “These are people who are motivated and proactive.”

How students use their tutoring session is up to them, but they cannot ask the tutor to do their work. Assistant director for experiential learning and student support services Eileen Capone describes the tutors' function as not teaching, but supporting students in their studies. This means no editing, solving math problems, or covering material from missed classes. Instead, it involves assisting in structuring papers, learning how to refine grammar and prose, figuring out how to approach the problem, brainstorming, and understanding what's needed to get the most from a class. Student Kirsty Bonner said she uses the tutoring service for both math and writing. As a result, she said, her writing contains better grammar, her editing skills improved, and her math tutoring helped build confidence. The one-on-one help, she said, allowed her “to ask those questions that maybe I am too shy to ask in class, for fear of taking up everyone's time.” She recommends that students approach tutoring with a proactive mentality and come prepared to note what they need help with.

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Registration Underway for January Term

January Term, formerly known as Winter Session, will begin on January 3 and registration is already underway. Students can set up an appointment with their advisor by calling (212) 992-9055. McGhee is offering the following courses this winter:

• World Cultures: Asia/ANTH1-DC5013 (Jan. 4 to Jan. 15)
• Conflict Resolution/ORBC1-DC2245 (Jan. 3 to Jan. 21)
• Sustainability Development in Emerging Economies/BUSN1-DC337 (Jan. 3 to Jan. 21)
• Special Topics in Media Studies: Roots of Hip Hop/MEST1-DC6090 (Jan. 3 to Jan. 21)
• Special Topics in Psychology: Psychology of Addiction/PSYC1-DC6890001 (Jan. 3 to Jan. 21)
• Special Topics in Psychology: Psychology and the Environment/PSYC1-DC6890002 (Jan. 3 to Jan. 21)

For the complete NYU January Term schedule, visit www.nyu.edu/winter.

Although several January Term classes start on January 3, it is a holiday for the majority of the University, and McGhee offices will be closed until January 4. The Office of Special Sessions will be open on January 3.

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Class Provides Guidance in Career and Education Planning

Combining self-assessment and educational style, the revamped Career and Education Planning Seminar/EXPR1-DC9802 will be offered this spring and aims to help students understand how they, as individual learners, can get the most out of their time at McGhee and beyond. “This course will help students maximize the benefit of their education and plan their careers,” said student affairs director and clinical associate professor of management Steven Hubbard, who will be teaching the class. Hubbard thinks this course will be especially appealing to new students who may want some help in charting their educational path as well as those who want to enhance their academic skills.

The recently reconceptualized course is deeply rooted in typology theory, which is a classification system theory. It takes personality types, learning styles, and how students interact with their environment into account. In the class, assessment tools such as the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory will be administered and used to explore how personality fits into the workplace and with one's educational style. Hubbard called it “learning about learning style.” He is an expert in this field, having focused on it as an area of study within Higher Education Administration.

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Announcements

Academic Advising Appointments for the Spring Semester
Advisors will begin seeing students for the spring semester on November 1. Students, however, will not be able to register through Albert until November 14. Call (212) 992-9055 to schedule an appointment with your advisor. You can view the course offerings through Albert. For more information about registration matters and degree requirements, go to www.scps.nyu.edu/mcghee.advising.

NYU Military Student Advisory Board
Students currently in the military and veterans are wanted for the Students in the Military Advisory Board. This board offers students the opportunity to play a role in communicating and identifying the needs of active military and veteran students as well as provide input and assist with events, programs, and resources. To inquire about serving on the board, contact Samantha Shapses, director of the Office of Graduate Student Life, at samantha.shapses@nyu.edu.

SCPS Undergraduate Student Council
The SCPS Undergraduate Student Council's mission is to represent student perspectives and to communicate them to the School and University administration. The council provides information, organizes events and activities, and supports undergraduate student clubs. Feel free to reach out to the representatives with questions and join them for council activities. The SCPS Undergraduate Student Council representatives for 2011-2012 are:

• President Ife Onatunde (McGhee Division)
• Vice President Natasha Dunn (McGhee Division)
• Treasurer Brian Plaut (Tisch Center)
• Senator Joseph Solomita (Tisch Center)