HEOP Looking for Tutors

For some students, transitioning to college can be difficult, and assistance may be necessary. The Arthur O’ Eve Higher Education Program (HEOP) is a New York State funded program set out to help students make the transition easier. They provide academic support services for those who would not normally meet either the academic or economic criteria for admission into college. They assist students through a variety of services including tutoring, academic advisement, financial aid, career and personal counseling. The HEOP office at LIU Post is calling on Post students to assist in their efforts this semester.

HEOP is hiring sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students interested in tutoring HEOP students. Tutors will earn $10 per hour. A cumulative GPA of 3.4 and a letter grade of A in the course they wish to tutor is necessary.

“We take applications on an ongoing basis, and we always need more tutors,” Jessica Jones, HEOP’s associate director, said. “We have about 28 to 29 students that usually have mandatory tutoring for certain amount of hours per week. So the ability to service all of these students is extremely difficult, with a limited number of tutors.” She said they only have about 10-15 tutors right now. The tutoring program ends at the end of the semester, but begins again for the fall semester. Jones added that “mainly all” of their tutors do return in the following semesters.

Even students with busy schedules can apply to tutor. Jones said that the tutoring schedules are flexible and work around the availability of the tutor. HEOP does not mandate anyone to tutor at certain times. The tutoring sessions take place in the HEOP office located on the first floor of Post Hall. Sessions last for one hour, although if the tutor’s and student’s schedules permit, it can go over that time, Jones said.

The Director of HEOP, William Clyde, said the tutoring program “absolutely” works. “You might not have the best grades, but you can become a better student,” he said.

The benefit to tutoring other students is “multi-faceted,” Clyde said. “A lot of tutors we get are upperclassmen and graduate students,” he said. Many of the international students who tutor “feel like they can improve their own knowledge about the subject they are tutoring” and they can also “learn to communicate better in English,” he added.

“From my time being a tutor for the program, I have gained a lot.” said Grace Oshin, who has been a tutor in the program since 2015. “But the most important thing I’ve gained is a family,” she said. She also said those who become tutors for the program can expect to feel “incredible happiness in seeing the difference you make” and that “it’s so rewarding.” Jones also added that being able to teach someone and watch them learn and develop skills really gives a great sense of satisfaction.

Students interested in tutoring can contact the HEOP office at 516-299-2397, post-heop@liu.edu, or visit the HEOP office in Post Hall.