What You Didn't Know About The Writing Center
The Writing Center assists students at any stage of the writing process from brainstorming ideas to revision. They work with various genres of writing including but not limited to academic, professional and creative writing.
On the University website, under the Writing Center, they offer online video workshops on a variety of writing topics such as citing in MLA style or clarity. If watching a workshop is a class assignment, students must fill out the form below the video as evidence for their professor.
The Writing Center also hosts in-person worships with an upcoming one for engineering majors learning how to read academic sources called “How To Read Research: Engineering”. The workshop is an ICE event on Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. located in the Humanities and Social Science building room 113. This will be the last Writing Center event of the semester.
For the Spring Semester, they plan on hosting a workshop on how to write research in different disciplines. During February in a team-up with Broken Ink, they’ll host another ICE event in the style of an open-mic reading called “Cringe Fest”, where the facility will read things they wrote when they were younger.
The tutors in the center vary across majors and are not restricted to only individuals studying English. To name a few non-English major tutors, Natalie Gibson is a psychology major, Hunter Martin majors in English education and Matthew Polk is a biology major.
There are also two facility members as tutors Dr. Jill Hampton and Professor Frank Possemato. Sometimes Dr. Skye Roberson an assistant professor and the director of the Writing Center steps in as a tutor.
As most of the tutors are students, they are familiar with certain Professor’s expectations and assignments. Some Professors who require students to visit the center send their assignment descriptions to the Writing Center for tutors to reflect on while helping individuals in their class.
Bea Waddell, a junior professional writing major, works as a tutor for the Writing Center.
“I get a lot of English 101 students so I’m really familiar with Dr. Hoffman and Professor Zeke Miller. I get a lot of their students, so I feel I’m really familiar with their assignment guidelines. I’m also familiar with Dr. Roberson’s guidelines. She brings a lot of students in here for help as well,” Waddell commented.
They accept walk-ins all day the majority of the time unless it’s a busy day. Appointments are available to book online at WC Online linked here.
Waddell elaborated on appointments,
"I really like to organize appointments based on the student’s needs and their priory list. So, if they have something they are really struggling with I want them to kinda lead the sessions so I know what will benefit them most.”
If you’ve reserved a study room in the library online before, the Writing Center bookings are similar to those. First-time users will have to create an account before being able to schedule an appointment.
If interested in becoming a tutor, Dr. Roberson puts out calls for employees in the spring, and applicants are hired in April for the upcoming year. Applicants must submit two writing samples, one academic and one non-academic. Two references from facility members are required along with another application explaining why you want to be a tutor.
Dr. Roberson announced,
"If people are interested in the Writing Center, just come in here, like we’re friendly. We want to help people so if they don’t know what they’re doing just come in and ask and we’ll put them on the right path. I would say that includes all things not just writing stuff.”
If that isn’t motivation enough, they have free stickers and candy for the taking. The center is also decorated with squish mellows, cute trinkets and a variety of board games to play.
The Writing Center is located in room 112 on the first floor of the Humanities and Social Science building. From the back entrance of the Humanities building, the center is down the hallway on the right near the water fountains.
