The Academic Advising and Retention Center wants to make sure students don’t start slacking off now that fall break is over.

A presentation about students staying motivated as the semester goes on will be given on Wednesday at both 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the Grise Hall Auditorium by Ron Ramsing, assistant professor in the department of kinesiology, recreation and sports.

The program is part of the AARC’s Academic Advantage Series, which consists of special events throughout the semester to help students cope with college.

The series has taken place at WKU for the past several years, said Jessica Staten, assistant director for supplemental education at the AARC.

“The program is designed for WKU students to get outside info to help them succeed in college,” Staten said. “We focus on non-academic factors that affect students that many don’t address on campus.”

AARC Director Kevin Thomas said they find that right after fall break, students will become complacent about their academics. The program on Wednesday is designed to help with that.

Ramsing said he thinks academic motivation and personal motivation are intertwined.

He said he plans to ask the audience questions such as “Why are you here?” and “What do you want out of things?” to get them to realize what they want to accomplish.

“Understanding why they’re here and their responsibility as students is important,” Ramsing said. “I want them to have a better understanding of how they can overcome some of the challenges they may be facing.”

Katie Truex, an academic adviser for the AARC, schedules the events for the series. She said they try to get speakers – often faculty members – who have a lot of experience in the event topic.

The series has doubled its attendance in the past couple of semesters, Truex said.

“We have so many students coming into our university needing these skills, or at least to brush up on the skills, such as time management and study skills,” she said. “Students need a good, well-rounded view of what they’ll need for their college career.”