More than Numbers: A Look Into the Artino Mathematics Tutoring Center at CCNY

Photography by Rex Kwon

By Fairuz Omar Raya

Past the security desk at the North Academic Center (NAC) at The City College of New York (CCNY) into the lobby, a right turn at the escalators, down the winding hallways, lies a bustling classroom. There, with faint laughter and hushed talks of algebra and calculus, students come together in crowds to advance their education.

The Artino Mathematics Tutoring Center (AMTC), located at NAC 1/511, is one of the many tutoring services at CCNY. But uniquely, it’s a new center that’s open 7 days of the week, offering both in-person and virtual appointments. 

Kamille Hernandez, Information Assistant at AMTC and fourth year Economics student at CCNY said, “Before, it would be a paper sign-in sheet but now to see a tutor, you need an appointment. If you want to study you have to use a kiosk. They didn't have a front desk. It was just students, sitting at a desk … but now it's, like, more of an official tutoring center. Before, you had to, low-key scout, try to find the tutors, but now we're on schedule”. 

In Fall 2022, David John was using his office hours in the math department lounge on Saturdays to tutor 60+ students from not just his class but other classes for that course. That’s when the administrative specialist of the math department suggested holding the tutoring services at the Artino Lab. The Artino Lab was previously used as a lab component for a Calculus III class, but during the pandemic, it was shut down. John started using the lab for tutoring services in Fall 2023 and in the spring of 2024, the center was officially named the Artino Mathematics Tutoring Center.

Since then, the center has grown from paper sign-ins to appointments made through the Navigate app and mandated sessions from math professors. Tutors were hired directly from the Federal Work Study, a website and Instagram page went up, and he instated virtual appointments seven days a week. 

With the help of the Provost's Office and the Math Department, John was able to get glass boards, iPads and pencils for Zoom classes, and other materials. But throughout, John still put in his own work and his funds, preparing packets of materials for students to take home to study. 

David John, a fervent believer in community-based learning, said, “Math is challenging and there’s a true phobia of math. To know there’s a place you can go for help, that there’s always someone you can ask — that’s comforting. You build a community amongst your peers, you can ask math questions together, you can do math problems together, and you're not alone.”.

Photography by Rex Kwon

This perspective can be seen in both tutors and students as well. Elias Bless Millan, college assistant, said, “I feel like a big part of what makes Artino different from most other tutoring centers is that it feels like we're people's friends. They come back because they feel familiar, like they made a friend with their tutor or anybody else that came in or that they talked to that day”.

John also began a specialized AMTC+ program, targeting students who repeat math classes. Those students are placed with the same tutor, on a weekly basis. Tutor Braulio Tellez, a third-year at the Grove School of Engineering, remembered a student that wanted to join the Grove School but was unable to pass a certain math course. “So, David recommended him to attend the Artino Math Center on a weekly basis. Once a week, he would meet up with me, and we'd go over the subject that he went over that day. I would repeat it in my own words and then, for the final 15 minutes, we would do different examples, different questions. ... At first, he was struggling a bit, but over time I noticed that he started improving and improving and he passed. It feels good to see them pass.”

The AMTC doesn’t just offer one-on-one tutoring sessions and workshops. Alongside the sessions, there are students working independently, with access to tutors in the classroom if they have a question. 

“It’s a very academic environment and it helps me because when I get home, I feel lazy because that’s my comfort place.” Sherlyn Colon Santana, first-year student, psychology major said. 

Gloria Hammond, first-year student, computer science major added, “I have a really far commute so by the time I get home, it’s really late and I’m tired. So it makes sure that I actually get my work done”

“The difference is that I have somebody to help me out and explain it to me. While on my own, I have to look it up myself. And there’s just certain things where it’s just better to have it explained to you in person, one-on-one.” Gabrielle Almonte, first-year student explained. 

David John is continuously thinking of more initiatives to develop the center further to provide stronger and more varied support to different mathematics classes. “The more support the tutoring center can provide — the more availability we have — the more students we help. Each year gets better. I’m always thinking about new things, new initiatives,” he said. Along with the recent implementation of  Zoom appointments, he’s thinking of developing a chat feature for 24/7 availability, especially for students whose schedules conflict with in-person hours.

“The idea of having a center open seven days a week is so that if you need help with something, there’s always support. You’re not alone. This is our little space. Our math community,” John said. 

The Artino Mathematics Tutoring Center is available to CCNY students Monday to Friday, in person and over Zoom appointments.  They can be found on their Instagram page and appointments can be made on Navigate360 for those who are enrolled in a math department class for the semester. 

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Fairuz Omar Raya is a reporter at The Paper. She is currently a junior at The City College of New York, as a double major in Communications (BA) with a concentration in Journalism, and in Political Science. She’s an aspiring journalist and loves uncovering new stories and reporting on them. In her free time, Fairuz can be found kickboxing at her local combat sports gym, reading books or spending time with her friends and family.