Part of being a student is learning when to ask for help, which is not a sign of weakness. Every professor and administrator asks, so with that being said, the mature thing to do is to go to someone that can help, or at least point you in the right direction. At NEIU, Katherine Gleiss is the person of interest as she is the coordinator of the Learning Center on the fourth floor of the library.
Gleiss has worked and refined methods for helping students develop skills essential to not only succeeding as students, but succeeding in places where being professional and mature are prerequisites. Gleiss focuses on student’s behavior, skills and attitude to get them through college, as these skills are not taught in public high schools and many students do not come to the university level with these intangibles already engrained in their heads.
Gleiss has years of experience in fields related to youth, such as previous work in a halfway home for the juvenile justice system, the department of corrections in St. Charles High School, and a few others to have a well rounded resume for helping youth.
It is important to understand that NEIU is not just another college or the cheaper college, but rather when passing through the doors one is essentially entering the “Gateway to opportunity,” as Gleiss said. Part of finding this opportunity for success means students utilizing what their tuition pays for, which is the help of the Learning Center, and the lack of utilization of this resource is one of the concerns for Gleiss. Asking for help is not a degrading process, nor does it make one stupid, which, as she paraphrased, are the basic misconceptions of why studets don’t come to get the help they need, it is essentially a part of being a good student. If you would like help, please stop by the fourth floor of the library and find one of the tutors that are employed by Gleiss, or talk to her yourself.