Get the Help You need in The First Quadrant
Jake Delaurier, staff writer
It probably will not come as a shock to find out that many students have a difficulty learning mathematics. With most college majors requiring at least one math course, some students will just bear through it regardless if they understand the material or not. Luckily, the Math Center at Piedmont Virginia Community College is here to help students with difficulty in math.
Located in the Main Building in room 253, the First Quadrant Math Center has been a part of PVCC since 2006. There, students can get help with the following math courses: Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Arithmetic, Pre Calculus I and II, Finite Math, Introduction to Math, Math for Liberal Arts, Statistics, Technical Math I and II, General Review of Math, Trigonometry, Computer Software, and certain STEM classes like Chemistry.
The Math Center is also composed of roughly thirteen tutors. “Our tutors come from all walks of life and are made up of current students, graduated students, retired teachers, and community members looking to give back to the community,” said Renee Eves, instructor of Mathematics. According to Eves, the qualifications to become a tutor is to be “enthusiastic about learning and the subject of math.”
One of these tutors includes current student Alec Traaseth. This is Traaseth’s first semester serving as a tutor. The most common course that Traaseth helps students with is Pre-Calculous. “Pre-Calc has the highest fail rate of any of the classes at Piedmont with the pass rate just above 50 percent,” said Traaseth. He believes the reason for this low pass rate is because that the class moves at a fast pace and that students are required to know that material beforehand.
One student that has benefited from the Math Center is first-time college student Carter Hall. Hall, who recently graduated from Fluvanna County High School, is taking Pre-Calculus for the first time.
“The Math Center has been very helpful, they explain homework and go step by step,” said Hall.
