This is my revision as of 7:30 Monday night. =)
A writing center is a home for writers, and a writer is anyone at our university who writes. As students are the main groups of writers who visit the center, we are most geared toward them. Every writer has different needs, and our center is willing to address each one. But our ultimate goal is to help those who come in learn to confidently navigate the writing process. We believe that writers benefit greatly from finding their own answers, and we also know that a collaborative environment is invaluable. Therefore, we seek to share with each writer how he can learn from himself and the writers around him.
Institutional responsibilities
The institution should provide the necessary funding for tutors, administrators, faculty, space, furniture, and resources for the center. The number of tutors and the amount of space will reflect the amount of students who use the center. The center will employ a director, a few head tutors, peer tutors, and a few faculty members.
The center will be in one open, central location on campus. It will have small tables as well as larger tables to accommodate various kinds of sessions. The center will also be equipped with computers, the number of which will also reflect how many people come to the center. The computers must have Internet access as well as Microsoft Office.
The center will also have a library of valuable resources to writers. It will include dictionaries, thesauruses, handbooks, manuals for all styles of writing, books with writing strategies and prompts, grammar books, and sample writings from all stages of the writing process.
Faculty responsibilities
A few faculty members who would like to be a part of the writing center will be compensated for tutoring a few hours a week. They are valuable to the center because some students enjoy working with a faculty member, faculty members can get a better understanding of how students approach the writing process, and other tutors can also learn from a faculty member coaching strategies as well as what the faculty generally expects from its students. A faculty coach can come from any discipline in the university.
All professors teaching freshman/general education required writing courses should provide their syllabi/assignment sheets. They should also provide a sample paper for each assignment that meets their standards. Other professors, particularly those who make writing assignments a large percentage of the semester's work, are encouraged to also provide assignment sheets and sample essays.
Too, all professors are encouraged to recommend the writing center for any written assignment; however, no student may be forced to go to the center. This means students' grades are independent of their visits to the center. Any improvement after visits may be reflected in a grade, but a grade may not simply improve or worsen based solely on a student's visiting or not visiting the center.
Finally, if a faculty member disagrees with or has a question about something done in the writing center, he or she should approach the writing center director but not a tutor or faculty tutor.
Director responsibilities
The director's administrative responsibilities include hiring and training tutors, holding regular meetings for ongoing training and tutor feedback, dealing with faculty-tutor relations, observing characteristics/needs of students who visit the center and adjusting services likewise, and being a part of the day-to-day life of the center.
In hiring tutors, the director should try to have at least one representative from all the school's disciplines. Also, the director should take into account not only the writing abilities of a potential tutor but also his or her communication skills as they are both essential. As a part of tutor training, the director should brief tutors on the various approaches to writing centers and individual session, explaining where their own center fits in. The director should also address the specific needs of the school's students, focusing on any non-standard populations like ESL students, deaf students, those in remedial programs, etc. Another core part of training should be looking at and talking about the tutors' personality types and how they will work together and with students. Along with the different types of people, the training should address the different types of assignments. Tutors who have specific expertise in one kind of assignment will be encouraged to coach other tutors who may not feel as familiar or comfortable.
The director should negotiate any problems between a faculty member and a tutor or even the whole center. The director should present to the professor the common practices of the center, defending them with other research and literature. The director and professor may also consult session notes (see Tutor responsibilities) when pertinent. When a tutor needs help or constructive criticism, the director will meet with him or her in a private matter.
To determine if the center needs to be adjusted in terms of of its budget or services, the director will monthly review who comes into the center and what they do. Important details for these reviews include how many students are coming in and what their special needs are. These reviews will justify the need for the center as well as any expansions.
On a day-to-day basis, the director will be aware of what's going on. He or she should also regularly coach sessions. The director will also be easily accessible for any difficulties a tutor may have with a particular session. As a part of ongoing training, the director will conduct regular meetings for tutors to reflect upon and discuss their work in a collaborative environment.
Tutor Responsibilities
The center will have some head tutors who have more experience and will be available when other tutors have questions or problems. All tutors are responsible for conducting sessions, but they are not responsible for editing or proof-reading students' papers. After each session, tutors will make notes about what was done in the session and any other information the tutors feels is relevant (like any disagreements). These notes are for the tutor's benefit because they will serve as evidence if a professor has a complaint.
Tutors will be professional at all times. They will treat students with respect. They will refrain from discussing personal opinions about professors and students when students are in the center.
Also, tutors will be encouraged to conduct writing center research with the director's approval.
Student Responsibilities
Students may come to the center for any kind of writing assignment. They should bring hard copies or electronic copies of any writing they have to the session. While we are willing to be help at any stage of the writing process, we strongly encourage students do not bring in last minute work; we want them to have ample time to produce good work. Students may not ask tutors to edit or proof-read their papers. Students will treat tutors with respect.
Students should understand that they have complete ownership of what they write. They are not required to take any suggestions a tutor has, nor do their grades pend on a tutoring session itself.
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