Sign-ups at Claremont McKenna College’s Center for Writing and Public Discourse (CWPD) and Quantitative and Computing Lab (QCL) have declined significantly this academic year. Some student employees attribute the trend to students’ growing use of AI tools for academic support and say a continued lack of sign-ups may result in staff cuts.
This spring, the CWPD has only seen around 345 appointments, according to its sign-up portal — an approximate 50 percent decline in use compared to last spring, when the center received 700 student appointments, according to an email from Associate Director Chloe Ray sent to writing consultants last May. Several current and former student QCL employees confirmed the center experienced a similar decline in sign-ups.
Multiple sources confirmed that Ray said at a recent CWPD staff meeting that the current decline was likely due to students using AI tools for essay help rather than coming to the writing center, as well as professors assigning fewer essays in an effort to counteract AI use.
CWPD consultant Eleanor Larson CM ’27 said while the decline in sign-ups from last year is significant, it should not be a demoralizing statistic.
“Coming from this huge peak, it’s a very significant downturn,” Larson said. “But that was also out of the ordinary for years prior, where, you know, ChatGPT didn’t exist.”
Larson said the writing center must adjust to rising AI use and identify how it can now best assist students with their writing.
“It’s just about pivoting and seeing where the need for us is going to arise,” she said.
A current CWPD consultant who requested anonymity due to their ongoing employment at the writing center said that a decline in sign-ups could indicate a need for future institutional change.
“I probably see the CWPD slimming back staff,” the consultant said. “It might be a wake-up call for the CWPD to think about where to allocate its resources.”
Multiple sources confirmed the QCL is facing similar declines in sign-ups.
A former QCL mentor who requested anonymity due to potential backlash from the center said Associate Director Bhaven Mistry emailed them this spring about the pressure the center was facing due to a lack of sign-ups.
“He told me the QCL has seen a pretty significant drop in student demand due to AI, which has forced them to cut back on mentors and hours,” the source said. “It sounds like the program is under pressure and shrinking.”
TSL confirmed that around six students were removed from QCL staff in total this past winter break, compared to one tutor last winter break. While the QCL previously sent emails to CMC’s student body advertising its hiring cycle by early January in 2024 and early March in 2025, the center has not yet put out a call for new mentors as of mid-April this year.
A current QCL mentor who requested anonymity to avoid professional retaliation said the students who continue to seek help from the QCL come in “not with problems with their homework, but problems with AI.” It is now “an expectation” for students to come into walk-in sessions with questions about ChatGPT, according to the source.
The current mentor said students’ increased use of AI makes it harder to ensure they truly understand the quantitative concepts, since they often just want to ensure that the responses they are getting from AI tools are accurate.
“We can do our best to say, ‘Hey, do you understand this? Can you walk me through this?’” the source said. “But some don’t really want to do that, and we can’t really force them to try to understand.”
Despite the significant decline in sign-ups at two of CMC’s academic support centers, CWPD Head Consultant Georgia Evrigenis CM ’27 said she remains optimistic about the unique role student consultants play in providing mentoring services.
“AI is more likely to cater to what you want to hear rather than giving you constructive feedback and helping you grow,” Evrigenis said. “Every consultant has a unique voice, a unique perspective that they can bring in — AI cannot give you that.”
The CWPD and QCL declined to comment.
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