On the day of its grand opening, the newly renovated Student Success Centre (SSC) received rave reviews from its primary clientele: students.

In addition to the dozens of faculty and staff on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 5, students also crowded in to catch a glimpse of the new furniture, technology and bright colours in the space, and to grab a piece of celebratory cake.

Paniz Rahnama’s first science drop-in session coincided with the grand opening of the Student Success Centre.

The updated SSC space, near the Market Hall stairs, hosts A-Z Learning Services’ drop-in sessions, writing workshops and one-on-one tutoring, as well as Academic Advising, while Aboriginal Student Services, which is also part of the SSC family, has its offices beside Guernsey Market.

“It’s incredible,” fourth-year Physical Education student Tamara Tait said as she described the success centre’s transformation.

Tait has been using the space since the beginning of her studies and says the leg-up its services provided has allowed her to stay on top of her course work.

“When I was in high school, my teachers always said I couldn’t go to university because of my English marks,” she said. “But having tutoring and transfer success groups in the SSC helped me stay ahead of that.”

However, the space previously available for the services Tait used did not feel like enough.

“Whenever we did the weekly transfer connect meetings, we were in a much smaller room,” she said. “It’s nice to have a bigger and more inclusive space now.”

After attending science drop-in help sessions during his first year, and then using that experience to work for the SSC, fourth-year Neuroscience student and peer facilitator Alex Van De Kleut is also thankful for the new resources in the renovated space.

Alex Van De Kleut has participated in programming at the Student Success Centre as a student and an instructor.

“I love it,” he said. “The big open space, lots of seating and the new TVs all really enhance the way we are able to help people.”

Van De Kleut also praised the easy public access the renovations have provided.

“We now have an approachable and accessible entrance that faces Market Hall,” he said. “That will make it easier to get people the help they need in a fast and efficient way.”

The inviting atmosphere was effective for 19-year-old Biotechnology student Paniz Rahnama, who arrived Tuesday for her first science drop-in session.

“The sign is really big and colourful and makes the space easy to find,” she said. “The new furniture also makes it really welcoming and helps me to feel calm before exams.”

As the centre ramps up its existing program-specific offerings in more open spaces and with new appointment tracking software, Rahnama said she is thankful for Brock’s continued commitment to student success.

“It gives us assistance and helps guide our path,” she said. “It’s great to see the University investing in a place that helps students in this way.”

For more about the learning resources available to students and the community, visit the Student Success Centre website.

Tamara Tait has used the Student Success Centre’s services throughout her four years at Brock.