Policies

Use of the CIRCLE is open to any currently enrolled Downtown Campus Georgia State students, as well as faculty and staff who are interested in learning another language or expanding their cultural knowledge.  Preferential access to resources is given to students currently enrolled in language classes in the Department of World Languages and Cultures and Applied Linguistics (IEP).

All patrons must check in at the front desk with their Panther Card.

• No eating or drinking is allowed in the CIRCLE. The first warning for a student will consist of asking them to either put their items away or throw them away. The second warning will consist of asking the student to leave the lab.
• Turn off / silence your cell phone upon entry to the CIRCLE. Talking on a cell phone while in the CIRCLE will not be tolerated as it disturbs others.
• All CIRCLE materials are for in-lab use only. Students may check out lab materials for use in the lab but may not remove them from the lab.
• Patrons are responsible for CIRCLE materials checked out in their name. Materials must be returned in the same condition in which they were checked out. Otherwise, the patron is responsible for the replacement cost.
• Students of a language course will have priority over students of non-language enrollment. If you are not actively engaged in a language or cultural activity, you may be asked to leave the CIRCLE in order to make room for students who need to complete assigned work.
• Please speak softly and be considerate of other patrons, just as you would in a library. Please remember that this is an educational environment.
• Please clean up after yourself. When you leave the CIRCLE, please do not leave trash on the workstation or table.

Because CIRCLE offers walk-in tutoring for multiple languages at no additional charge, some policies and guidelines were established to ensure fair and equitable access to all.

• Private tutoring may be limited at the discretion of the tutor. Some tutors may be working with multiple students at one time. During peak times (right before a large exam), students may only have access to a tutor for 15 – 20 minutes. The following practices will help make the most of your available time.
• Come prepared to show the tutor the specific items or concepts that you’d like to cover. Plan ahead for the assistance you need.
• Do not wait until the last minute to come for assistance. Most of the language courses have common exams given on the same day. As a result, the CIRCLE becomes very crowded on those days and tutoring becomes more limited. If you have questions after your language class, please visit the CIRCLE at the next possible opportunity to have them addressed. Not only is this the best way to learn, but it also ensures that you have the answers you need before the big test.
• Tutors will not proofread, correct or edit compositions for you. Please see the proofreading policy for more information on how to work with the tutor on writing assignments.

The emphasis of the tutoring services at the CIRCLE is on helping you become a better writer and speaker of your target language through additional, focused instruction in grammar and vocabulary use. Tutors can’t proofread, edit, or correct the composition for you. That would make us better editors, but it would not make you a better writer. However, we will help you learn how to be a better proofreader and writer in the context of your language studies. Therefore, keep in mind that CIRCLE tutoring is not a proofreading or error-correction service, so you can’t expect the tutor to correct your mistakes for you. You are responsible for the content, the language and the correctness of your paper. You and the tutor must make decisions together about what changes are necessary.

We recommend that you come to us early in the semester and that you give yourself sufficient time between the first draft of your composition and the due date. There is not much we can do to help you if you come to us with a first draft one hour before it is due.