As Tutoring Coordinator at Laney, I was shocked to read the April 16, 2015, front-page Tower article entitled, “Laney Tutoring Center Crisis.” 
The article had many factual errors, including location of the Math Lab (G201) and funding sources for the tutoring programs at Laney.
Several quotes attributed to me were misconstrued and inaccurate. While securing funding for tutoring is always a challenge, describing the situation as a “crisis” is misleading to readers. My concern is that it will lead students who need tutoring to avoid the excellent services we currently have in place. 
The fact is Laney’s tutoring usage rates have increased significantly across the campus. The James Oliver Community Writing Center (JOCWC) in B260 had over 9,500 student visits and over 1,600 tutoring sessions this past fall — an increase of 1,000 student visits from last spring. 
The Math Lab (G201) averages 80 tutoring sessions per day, with math students from all over the Peralta district. In large part, this is due to the quality of the services offered, and the positive impact they have on students.
Dean Denise Richardson, who oversees all tutoring labs, has advocated for and received more funding to support the tutors’ well-deserved pay hike to the new Oakland minimum wage of $12.25 per hour.
Plans are in place to use Student Equity funding for tutoring, and President Elnora Webb has also made available dollars from the Chancellor’s special allocation fund, which we hope will become a permanent source of support for the tutoring efforts at the college. 
I have worked with faculty in different disciplines to recruit and train tutors, and am proud of the hard work and dedication of our student tutors. Numerous studies have shown tutoring has a significant impact on student learning and success (Center for Community College Student Engagement, “Promising Practices for Promoting Student Success” 2014). We are always striving to improve the tutoring services at Laney, and we welcome feedback that will help us improve.
We recognize we have more work to do. Yet the Laney Tower article got it wrong. Our tutoring programs at Laney are not in a crisis; they are a catalyst for student success.

Jackie Graves is Co-Chair of the English Department and Tutoring Coordinator at Laney. She may be reached at jgraves(a)peralta.edu