SOS to the rescue

SOS, a new student society, wants to help first year students over the "post Thanksgiving hump." Members include Ally Farran, Jessie Roy, Christine Murray and Jesse Guth. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Once October comes, the honeymoon glow of back to school is officially over and midterms loom.

But this year, there’s a new society on campus designed to get first-year students through that post-Thanksgiving hump.

It’s called SOS—Students Offering Support. And while the Dalhousie chapter is brand new, chapters have sprung up on university campuses throughout Canada over the past five years. Its main program, dubbed Exam-Aid, originated with SOS founder Greg Overholt who coordinated review sessions for two first-year economics classes at Wilfrid Laurier University in Kitchener in 2004.

Essentially, SOS offers review sessions before midterms and final exams for some of the larger first-year classes at Dalhousie, including calculus, mathematics, engineering, biology, chemistry and physics. Tutors, who have been selected for their smarts and ability to communicate, will review all the material learned in class in advance of the big tests. 

“The tutors are students who’ve already taken the class, did well and can understand where the first years are coming from,” says Jessie Roy, a fourth-year biology student and president of the new society. “I don’t think these will be your typical study sessions; for one thing, the tutors are not only talented in their field of study, they’re really good at communicating the material.”

So far, about a dozen tutors are onboard and ready to roll up their sleeves. (They are: Hannah Dahn, Peter Horwich, Shumona De, Amanda Suh, Iain Arsenau, Evan McDowell, Daniel Sawler, Matt Foss, Aled Iaboni, Peter Green and Beth Croteau.) And just in time—the first review session is slated for Biology 1010 on Thursday, Oct. 8, followed by Physics 1100 on Tuesday, Oct. 13. (Students should register online at www.dalhousiesos.com; times and locations to be announced.)

“This is a huge resource for students on campus that just wasn’t here before,” continues Ms. Roy. Joining her on the SOS executive are: Christine Murray, a fourth-year biology student from Sydney, N.S.; Jesse Guth, a second-year management student from Toronto; Ally Farran, a second-year neuroscience student from Calgary; and Sam Eisen, a second-year psychology student from Barrie, Ont. All of the students involved have a strong interest in community service and international development.

But students at Dalhousie aren’t the only ones who’ll benefit by SOS. The society helps students in developing countries by raising money to improve or build educational facilities. The Dal chapter is looking specifically at raising money for a nongovernmental organization based in Ecuador, a country located on the Pacific coast of South America.

A $10 donation is suggested for attendance at any of the review sessions.

“You’d pay $10 for two pieces of pizza,” says Ms. Roy. “And we think the cause is amazing.”

The society, which wants to be associated with stress relief on campus, has other ideas for raising money, for example, by offering chair massages and handing out cups of green tea.

LINKS: Dalhousie SOS | Students Offering Support (national group) | Dalhousie SOS on Facebook | Dalhousie SOS on Twitter

UPCOMING REVIEW SESSIONS:

• Oct. 8: Biology 1010 review. 6:30 to 8: 30 p.m. in Scotiabank Auditorium, Marion McCain Building.
• Oct. 13: Physics 1100 review. 6 p.m. in Room 117 of the Dunn Bldg.
• Oct. 14: Chemistry 1011 review. Time and location to be announced.
• Oct. 29: Math 1000 review. Time and location to be announced.
• Oct. 13: Engineering Math, Math 1280 review. 6 p.m. in Room 301A of the Dunn Bldg.