Volume 59, Issue 5  - September 18, 2006

Staff members teaching STING courses
By José Borjón
Collegian Editor

It is 2:42 p.m. Tuesday as the instructor walks into Cardenas Hall North 232, wearing a blue shirt, khaki pants, brown shoes and

LUIS F. PEñA/COLLEGIAN

STING math tutor Juan Pablo Garcia tutors students on the math section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment test.

a smile from cheek to cheek. 

He starts class by “breaking the ice,” usually asking students about their weekend and cracking a few jokes so they know he is “laid-back.” But at the same time, he offers advice on being successful in college.

Alex Salinas, a student development specialist in charge of the STING Success Program, is one of 22 UTB/TSC staff members teaching STING classes to 200 students this semester.

STING stands for Students Together, Involving, Networking and Guiding. The program offers a classroom lab environment where developmental/remedial students learn college success skills and receive tutoring to meet their developmental needs in math, writing or reading, according to its Web site. 

As a former peer mentor for the program, Salinas can relate to STING students. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UTB/TSC in 2004.

“While we like the idea [of peer mentors teaching the classes], we are always looking to improve the system and we said, ‘Why not have professional staff members … teach the classes?’” said Sergio Martinez, coordinator for student development.

Martinez said the biggest challenge was finding staff members willing to commit to teaching for 14 weeks this semester.

He said STING students are at risk of dropping out of college and therefore need additional guidance and mentoring.

Vince Solis, vice president for student development, also teaches a STING class. He said students meet twice a week, once with instructors and once with peer mentors.

“The [peer] mentor will come back and say my experience has been this and this and I supplement that with information that helps and, hopefully, contributes to [students’ success],” Solis said.

Peer mentors also tutor students who have trouble in certain academic areas, Martinez said.

Alejandra Treviño, a senior mathematics major, is one of six peer mentors. She tutors students who plan to take the math section of the THEA this semester.

“Right now, we are just covering integers, fractions and order of operation,” Treviño said.

Students are grateful for the help.

“I like when they come back and they tell me they got a good grade on their test, or when [they say] ‘You’re so nice, you helped me,’” she said.

Solis enjoys teaching his 8 a.m. class. At the end of each session, students can ask anything about the campus.

“I like the class,” he said. “I learn as much from my students as I hope they do from me.”

Servando Najera, a freshman communication major, said staff members have lectured on different topics, all of which have helped him.

“It feels nice, they help you a lot, the people that come to talk to us,” he said.

Michael Edward Aldape, a freshman English major, spoke highly of Student Life Director David Mariscal, his STING instructor.

“He’s been giving us a lot of good lessons on time management, taking responsibility, having better attitudes, succeeding in college,” Aldape said.

Martinez is thankful to the staff members willing “to give up their time” to teach the classes.

“We’re just really making STING even better than it was before,” he said, “We want to improve the retention rates. We want [students] to graduate and be successful and complete their goals and dreams.”