Student Services

Student Development and Counseling Center

The WPI Student Development and Counseling Center (SDCC) provides a wide range of services that are FREE of charge to all students enrolled in classes at WPI. The primary purpose of the SDCC is to provide counseling, educational programming and training, referral, and crisis intervention services to the entire WPI student community focusing on 1) assisting students in their full and complete development as they go through the process of becoming adults so that they may achieve greater levels of personal, academic, and professional success, and 2) assisting students in becoming aware of, and effective in, their roles, relationships, and responsibilities as members of an ever burgeoning global society. The professional staff are trained to help students deal with a variety of issues including:

The SDCC staff can also provide referral services for psychiatric evaluation, psychological and learning disability assessment, or other treatment.

The services of the SDCC are confidential. The mental health professionals and support staff are highly trained and sensitive to students’ privacy and personal concerns.

The SDCC is located at West Street House, 157 West Street, near the corner of Institute Road. Appointments may be made during the academic year (A through E terms) in person or by calling (508) 831-5540. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. June to mid-August).

MASH (Math and Science Help) Program

MASH is an academic support program for first-year students in mathematics and science courses. Offered to all students enrolled in a supported course, MASH provides assistance in regularly-scheduled study sessions beginning the first week of the term.

MASH review sessions are offered for a limited number of courses which students and faculty have identified as difficult. These courses may have heavy homework assignments or they may require understanding of new and difficult concepts. Whatever the reason, some courses are more challenging than others. MASH helps students meet that challenge.

Each study group is guided by a MASH leader, an undergraduate student who has taken the course before and who, therefore, understands the course material and what the instructor expects. MASH leaders attend all class lectures, take notes, complete assigned readings and other assignments, and conduct three or four 50-minute MASH sessions each week. By attending class and demonstrating effective student behavior, MASH leaders can assist students with the language of the discipline, the integration of lecture and readings, and the development of good study habits.

Through the MASH program, students become actively involved with the content material in a supportive environment. Studies show students who attend MASH sessions regularly earn higher grades than students electing not to participate. But even more important, MASH participants master new concepts, learn to put ideas into perspective, and develop a better way to study. MASH is offered by the Office of Academic Advising.

Academic Resources Center 

WPI’s Academic Resources Center (ARC) provides academic support services that are designed to enrich and enhance the learning experience of all WPI undergraduate students. Its student-based collaborative learning environment offers individualized assistance in a variety of subjects, as well as a comprehensive peer tutoring program.

Students may obtain individual counseling in such areas as learning styles, effective study strategies, problem solving and critical thinking skills, and time management. Appointments may be set up with staff members to develop individualized Academic Success Plans which help students set their academic goals, discover their learning strengths and weaknesses, and design the appropriate learning and study strategies that work best for them.

Students may call (508) 831-5281 for an appointment.

Periodically, students may find that they need some individual assistance with a particular subject or topic. The ARC peer tutors, who are certified by the College of Reading and Learning Association, help students one-on-one in a variety of academic subjects. Tutors are available on a walk-in basis Monday through Thursday. See an up to date tutor schedule.

The Academic Resources Center is located in Daniels Hall.

Student Disability Services Office

The mission of the Student Disability Service Office is to ensure that all students with disabilities can freely and actively participate in all facets of University life; to provide and coordinate support services that enable students with disabilities to maximize their educational potential and to increase the level of awareness among members of the University so that students with disabilities are able to perform at a level limited only by their abilities, not their disabilities.

By law, it is the student’s responsibility to identify himself/ herself to the Student Disability Services Office (DSO) and to provide documentation of the disability by a licensed professional. (Please note that the documentation for students with learning differences and ADD/ADHD must be dated within the last three years.) All students who have been admitted to WPI have the opportunity to self-identify their disability (physical and/or learning) by filling out the bottom portion of the Voluntary Disclosure form which is enclosed in the New Student Orientation Package. Students should send this form, along with the supporting documentation, to the DSO. Students with disabilities, who are diagnosed after their admission to WPI, must also provide appropriate documentation to the DSO, if they wish to receive accommodations.

For further information please visit the Disability Services web page. The Disability Services office, located in Daniels Hall, is open Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Students may drop in or call (508) 831-5235 for an appointment.

The Writing Center

The Writing Workshop offers all WPI students tutorial assistance on writing of any type-: course assignments, project work, oral presentations, laboratory reports, proposals, resumes, and letters of application. The workshop is directed by a member of the Humanities and Arts Department faculty and staffed by student peer tutors, all of whom have been trained in a special course on tutoring writing. Students may be referred to the Workshop by faculty, or students may make appointments on their own initiative. The workshop is open according to posted schedules, and its tutorial services are available at no cost.

For more information, visit the CCAC website or drop in at the Project Center.

Writing Courses and Advisors

For information on WPI’s writing programs, see Humanities and Arts faculty as follows:

Students for whom English is the native language can consult Lorraine Higgins (Project Center, Room 212) about these programs.

The WPI advisor for undergraduate students whose native language is not English is Prof. J. Forgeng (SL 08).

World Wide Web

The WPI World Wide Web server is the campus information system. It contains a great deal of useful information about people and programs at the university, and is updated frequently. In addition, by using the Web, students gain access to a vast universe of information on any subject imaginable. This is why the Web is such a useful research tool for both faculty and students.

WPI’s Web address, or URL, is: www.wpi.edu. Questions about WPI’s Web site should be directed to the Web Development Office, webmaster@wpi.edu.

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: February 06, 2009 08:16:06