Policies

Faculty and student writing assistants are available to help students become stronger, more accomplished writers. To do this effectively, and to serve the whole student population, we have designed the following policies. Please review them before making an appointment to see an assistant.

• Make sure to sign up for an appointment in advance. While we welcome drop-ins, we cannot guarantee that students dropping in will see an assistant immediately, especially during busy weeks of the marking period.
• Out of courtesy to others, please keep all appointments you make. If you need to cancel, call 328-6309 or email Mrs. Tompkins. Students who miss three appointments will lose their Writing Center privileges for the semester. Students arriving more than fifteen minutes late for an appointment may find that their appointment has been canceled.
• Please sign in before every appointment; tracking Writing Center use is vital so that we can continue to be a resource for you.
• Please bring with you everything that you may need to help the consultant assist you. Bring a copy of your assignment sheet, texts, class notes, and any pre-writing or drafts that you have made

Writing Assistants will:

• help with work on pre-writing or invention activities
• discuss ways to approach an assignment
• help with first drafts or revisions
• help with thinking through audience, purpose, organizational strategies introductions, conclusions
• help with development of ideas and discuss ways to use examples
• help by explaining and demonstrating editing and proofreading strategies,
• discuss the technical conventions of the language  (grammar, spelling, punc-tuation) and general problems with writing  
• help with work on problems in critical reading and thinking, research strategies, and documentation
• refer students back to their teachers for help or rereading of material for better uunderstanding before writing

   
Writing assistants will not:

• write a paper for a student
• proofread a student's papers (though they will work with students on their proofreading and editing skills)
• discuss  a student's writing with anyone outside the Writing Center (Teachers have access to these records)
• dispute or question the grade a teacher has given a student's paper
• explain reading information to a student or give student answers if student has not read or clearly understood their material,

You may make comments, complaints, or suggestions to the Writing Center by emailing Mrs. Tompkins. Tell us what you think.