Guests check out items that were given away in a raffle during the Herbst open house held recently in the Dal Ward Center. (Photo/Casey A. Cass)

The Herbst Academic Center for Student-Athletes recently held its fifth annual open house to showcase its services to coaches, students, parents, academic advisors and others in the campus community.

"The open house is an opportunity to build bridges on campus by letting people meet us," said Mark Nelson, director of the Herbst Academic Center.

The center is located in the Dal Ward Athletic Center and features a computer lab with 35 desktops, office space for 12 staff members, a reference library with over 800 resources and the "Varsity Room," which features quiet study nooks.

Through the center, all student-athletes have access to free tutoring, career development strategies and community service opportunities. Freshmen athletes and designated non-freshmen are required to spend eight hours per week in study hall, to be completed inside of the Herbst Academic Center facilities.

"Some of the students may not appreciate having to do all of this right now, but in the end they will realize how important it was," said Nelson.

"A lot of people I know go over their required hours in the study hall, because it's good to be here and get help," said Kaela DeCou, a freshman soccer player. "The staff here make sure we're always getting stuff done."

The Herbst Academic Center is a service of the Office of Student Affairs. It was created through the contributions of Clarence A. Herbst, Jr., a CU alumnus and former member of the varsity swim team. Herbst graduated from CU-Boulder in 1950 with a degree in chemical engineering. For more information on the Herbst Academic Center visit www.buffacademics.com.