By Daniel Montaño, Senior Reporter | Photos by Daniel Montaño
Students entering their first year of college can sometimes be overwhelmed by balancing schoolwork and their personal life, but students don’t have to go it alone, Michael Wexler, Child, Youth and Family Development major said.
“It’s important to ask questions when you need help and you’re overwhelmed,” he said.
CNM offers a variety of services to help students succeed — which can be found online at http://www.cnm.edu/depts./ssa — and the Chronicle has chosen to spotlight a few resources where students can find the help need to thrive and succeed in school.
CNM Connect
Locations: Main
SSC-101
Other campuses: Montoya TW-101, Westside MJG-101, South Valley SV-40, Advanced Technology Center ATC-126, Workforce Training Center WTC 132
Open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: 224-3186
The goal at CNM Connect is to help students succeed in college no matter what challenges they face in their personal, work or school life, Ann Lyn Hall, executive director of CNM Connect said.
Connect can help students with financial, academic or personal issues, everything from trying to get a ride to campus, to finding an affordable daycare or learning how to talk to instructors, in the hopes that students will be able to continue to attend school, Hall said.
The achievement coaches, who are the main point of contact for students when using Connect resources, care about students’ challenges, and will work hard to find a solution using resources both on and off campus, Hall said.
“We’ll do everything in our power to make sure that you’re successful in your education. If you need something please stop by, call us, send us an email, because we want to be there for you,” she said
Learning Center Supervisor
ACE Tutoring
Locations: Main SRC-203
Other campuses: Montoya J-107 & J-103, Westside MJG-113, South Valley SV-106, Advanced Training Center ATC-126, Rio Rancho RR-115
Hours vary by location
Phone: 224-4300
Most students know the Assistance Centers for Education for their computer labs, but ACE also provides students support through tutoring, guided workshops and study groups, Melanie Viramontes Learning Center Supervisor, said.
Tutoring Services are free to all current students and covers nearly every subject that CNM offers — everything from traditional subjects such as math, English and science, to trades such as automotive mechanics and culinary arts, Viramontes said.
Guided workshops, which provide an in depth look at specific subjects such as trigonometry or grammar, are offered throughout the year at every campus, and a calendar of when specific workshops are offered is available online at http://www.cnm.edu/depts/tutoring, she said.
Tutors will not complete a student’s homework for them, but the will go over homework with students, help identify and correct recurring errors, and guide students through troublesome topics, she said.
“First and foremost the tutors are here for the students benefit. It’s been shown that if you get help, if you receive tutoring, a lot of times your grades will benefit from it,” she said.
Job Connection Services
Location: Main SSC
207
Open Monday –
Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: 224-3060
Job Connection Services (JCS) assists all CNM students and graduates with all aspects of the employment process including resume writing, online job searching, interview strategies and much more, Donna Fastle, Career Center Adviser said.
JCS does not place students into a job after they graduate, rather JCS is a place where current students or graduates can come to get help finding work and can learn the skills they need to find work on their own in the future, she said.
“Many students do come back to us and tell us they got a job, and when they do we put their picture on the bulletin and celebrate their success with them,” Fastle said.
JCS also teaches students how to deal with specific concerns, such as background check or work history issues, she said
“We don’t have a magic wand, but we do have some pretty good ideas that are worth sharing,” she said.
Disability Resource Center leader
Open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: 224-3259
The Disability Resource Center provides services and assistance to students with both permanent and temporary physical, mental, learning, visual, speech or hearing disabilities, Mark Cornett Director of the Disability Resource Center.
The DRC holds orientations every Friday wherein disabled students can get information on how to get involved with the DRC and learn about the services the DRC offers, which includes career and personal counseling, notetakers/readers, interpreters for the deaf, alternative test taking formats, large print or audio textbooks, access to disabled parking, adaptive equipment and much more, Cornett said.
The DRC also provides assistance to veterans through the Vet Success program, which aids veteran students in speeding up paperwork and clarifying bureaucratic issues with the Veterans Affairs department, he said.
Cornett said that he wanted to invite all students with disabilities — even temporary ones, such as a broken dominant hand — to visit the DRC for support, but wanted to remind students to come in ahead of time because documentation is required.
Locations: Main SSC-208, Montoya TW-208, Westside campus location planned to open by the end of the semester.
