Portage Student Association Donates Funds for Student Tutoring and Entertainment
Student life at the Portage College Lac La Biche campus is about to get a lot more enjoyable, and homework just a little bit easier.
Owing to the generous donation of $18,000 from the Students' Association (SA) to the College, the HUB on campus will soon be outfitted with entertainment equipment that will encourage more students to be involved in recreational activities. Equipment to be purchased includes two 55" widescreen televisions with HD TV, Blu-Ray players and gaming consoles, and a sound system that can be used for live music, karaoke and noon-hour presentations. The estimated cost of the professionally installed and configured sound system with televisions is approximately $18,000.
In addition, thanks to the matching donated funds received from the Alberta government's Access to the Future Fund, another $18,000 will be spent on purchasing "Smart Thinking" online tutoring services, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Mardere Birkill, Director of Teaching and Learning at Portage said, " ‘Smart Thinking' will provide students with just-in-time assistance with academic challenges in a variety of subject areas. We hope it will enrich their learning experience and we thank the Students' Association for their generosity."
Over the last few years, the local SA council has been accumulating funds from SA fees and small-scale fundraising activities. These funds are meant to go towards making purchases that would help improve or enhance the student experience. Upgrading the HUB was one suggestion local students had to enhance the college environment.
Once the discussion began regarding the HUB upgrades, it was realized that the entire college could be enhanced by such an upgrade, commented Richard Cloutier, SA Business Manager.
"The Students' Association decided on donating the funds to the college, not only to provide more entertainment to students, but to also assist the staff, specific programs and services offered within the college. The new equipment will allow the HUB to be used as a functional and technologically modern presentation space that can hold over 100 people. This could advance the college's ability to fundraise, promote the college, and attract new students. "
For more information, please contact Richard Cloutier of the Portage College Students Association at 780-623-5502.
Lionel Peterson, Residence Life Programmer and Mardere Birkill, Director of Teaching and Learning are grateful to receive funds from the Portage Student Association Secretary, Chastity Sunday, and Richard Cloutier, Business Manager.
