Syracuse University Literacy Corps sends students on the hill to tutor at elementary schools, middle schools and nonprofit organizations throughout the community, benefitting two different age groups of students, organizers said.  

The SULC, an initiative of the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service, allows students to teach children, and even some adults, in the community, said Carla Ramirez, program coordinator at Shaw Center.  

Ramirez said that the SULC position is “a service-learning experience” for students.  

“They’re going to put into practice all the knowledge that they’re gaining here at the university,” Ramirez said. “So they develop professional and life skills.” 

The SULC is currently hiring more tutors, said Sierra Eastman, a senior intern at the SULC.  

The SULC currently has 28 site visits planned, Ramirez said, including West Side Learning Center, North Side Learning Center and Saturday Academy — a program run by 100 Black Men of Syracuse Inc. The program averages 40 visits and 100 to 120 tutors per year, said Pam Heintz, the associate vice president and director of the Shaw Center.  

Heintz, who has worked with the SULC program since its founding in 1997, said the initiative works with a diverse group of learners, including some adults and non-English speakers.  

Emberlin Leja, an SULC intern, said as a tutor, she made connections within the community. Now, she works for Mayor Ben Walsh’s office, an opportunity she said wouldn’t be without the connections she formed through SULC. 

“It benefits us,” Leja said. “But it also benefits the students. Just to be able to see young people in the university, and perhaps have someone to model after, to look up to and someone to guide them who’s closer to their age.” 

Last year, when Trey Jennings turned in his application to be a student tutor with the SULC on the day it was due, he said he ran into administrative coordinator Kathryn Bradford and asked if she would accept his application. To which she responded, “only if he was going to be exceptional.” 

After getting accepted into the program, Jennings said he became excited about SULC and that upon getting the job, he enjoyed working with the students and teachers at the school where he tutored.  

Jennings said that tutors’ experiences vary by site. He said that he sometimes moves from classroom to classroom every hour, but he knows some tutors who stay in the same classroom for the entire time.  

Heintz said other programs at the Shaw Center, such as Engineering Ambassadors and Balancing the Books, grew out of the SULC program due to positive feedback from students and teachers at the schools where SU students volunteered.  

Onondaga County has a large number of functionally illiterate residents, Heintz said. She said that the SULC takes on the issue of illiteracy in the county by starting with the children.  

“So, if we can work with the children,” Heintz said, “perhaps we can start tackling the adult literacy issues.”  

Published on September 4, 2019 at 11:44 pm

Contact Mandy: ackrayna@syr.edu | @MandyKraynak