One in four Pennsylvania adults cannot read.

When Autumn Marisa (junior-journalism) heard this statistic in her Comm 408 class (History of Media), she was appalled.

"It just really shocked me; I didn't think that statistic would be so high," she said.

A Mid-State Literacy Council representative shared statistics with the class, and after hearing the rest of the representative's information, Marisa decided to volunteer as part of her class work.

"I thought it would be very challenging, but rewarding at the same time," she said.

Marisa is currently in the council's volunteer training program and, once trained, is required to devote 90 minutes a week to tutoring. In addition, she must keep a journal of her volunteer time, she said.

In exchange for volunteering, Marisa is exempt from a term paper required of the Comm 408 students.

The council's program is popular with Penn State students -- in fact, this year volunteer space filled within a week, said Monica Mathews, director of the organization.

"That's pretty average for us," she added.

The council trains volunteers to tutor adults who read and write below a sixth-grade level, Mathews said.

Students make up half the council's volunteers and interns. While many volunteers choose to tutor, others provide office services or work on newsletters and fund-raising, she said.

State College resident Corey Lindberg said he has been working with his tutor for the past three to four years. Chris Evans, Lindberg's residential counselor, said Lindberg has made a lot of progress since beginning work with his tutor Kathryn Plank.

"He's improved very, very much," Evans said.

In addition to one-on-one tutoring, the council also provides a tutoring program for prisoners in Clearfield and coordinates a family literacy program in State College, where families work on reading and writing skills together.

"It helps children appreciate their education more and, at the same time, gives parents a leg up," Mathews said.

Tutoring services are offered in locations around the community that fit the needs of the students, anywhere from the council office, 204 Calder Way, to the local library or a student's home.

Earl Frye (senior-Spanish) has volunteered at the literacy council for the past two years, teaching English as a Second Language to State College residents through the organization's ESL/Civics program.

"The best part is just being able to see someone read who wasn't able to before or to see them order food in a restaurant when they couldn't before," Frye said.

Frye has tutored two people since completing his volunteer training. He said his students decide how long they wish to work with their tutor.

"I worked with each of them for a year; it's a one-on-one kind of thing," he said. He added his tutoring sessions take place mainly in the evenings, when he was available.

In addition to volunteering, Frye scheduled Comm 497B (Literacy in the Community) last semester, which he said involves a classroom session once a week and allowed him to volunteer for credit during his remaining class hours.

Mary Mander, head of film, video and media studies at Penn State, said Comm 497 differs from Comm 408 in that volunteer time is required of students in Comm 497.

However, the volunteer option in Comm 408 has been offered for many years, she said.

"I tried to find a way to use my expertise within the community and that's how (the Comm 408 option) got started," Mander said.

Tutoring is popular in both classes; Comm 497 was overenrolled last semester and at least half of her Comm 408 students choose to volunteer, Mander said.

"We have no problem getting people to (tutor)," she said.

For information on volunteering or tutoring sessions, the Mid-State Literacy Council can be reached at (814) 238-1809.