Student struggles after STU replaces peer tutoring with Smart Start Study program

A Smart Start table displays study materials and information, marking the shift away from STU’s former peer tutoring program. (Credit: STU Communications)

When St. Thomas University discontinued its one-on-one peer tutoring program this fall, many students were left confused about how to seek academic support. 

The Smart Start Study tables were introduced as a community-based alternative, but students who depended on tailored, course-specific help say the shift has created gaps.

Peer tutoring was long considered one of the most accessible resources on campus. Students booked sessions with trained upper-year tutors who had taken the same courses and could explain difficult concepts directly. 

For third-year student Jon Kenneth, peer tutoring was the one academic service that carried him through his degree.

Kenneth first relied on peer tutoring for language learning, something he said he could not get anywhere else at STU.

“I already discovered peer tutoring in my first year and it was very helpful to me to practice, because back then, I was thinking [in] Japanese … [it] was the only way I could practice.”

As he advanced into Spanish and French, peer tutors became essential to keeping up.

“I used them to practice Spanish conversations because there’s nowhere else. It’s hard … not everyone’s willing to teach you, but because it’s their job and they're paid to do it, they had [an] incentive.”

Beyond languages, Kenneth said peer tutors helped him in philosophy and logic—areas where he needed someone who understood the content deeply.

“There were these students who knew what they were talking about … like their major is in it and they know specific topics.”

When the program was replaced, he felt the change immediately. He added that the variety of subjects once offered has diminished.

“My biggest struggle is that they don’t cover all the subjects … with the peer tutoring program, each subject had someone to tutor and teach that specific subject.”

This is where Kenneth finds the Smart Start Study program lacking.

“It can’t be compared. It’s completely different. It’s like apples and oranges. It’s not a valid replacement. It should be a supplement, not a replacement.”

He said the group-based setup often mismatches students.

“Someone who’s taking economics won’t get to see much help from someone who’s taking philosophy or psychology.”

He believes the university should reinstate the old model. 

For Rigel Testas, a former peer tutor and now Smart Start leader, the transition has been significant but not entirely negative.

“As a student, I see it as something different. I personally also used to go to peer tutors because I like the one-on-one approach.”

Testas said the new tables encourage community and accountability.

“I have met really cool people … and I have been very productive [at] that table. I feel more accountable because everyone around me is also doing work.”

She acknowledges the concerns students raise, especially around comfort and space.

“I know how important the one-on-one approach was … there are people who feel a little bit more uneasy or shy to approach someone in a group setting.”

Noise and multiple students who transit by the tables in James Dunn Hall have also been an issue.

“So we were planning for next semester to have more … somewhere more quiet,” said Testas.

As Smart Start grows and adjusts, the debate continues.