The Writing Center offers writers help with all types of writing, including arguments, scholarly articles, fiction and personal narratives, business writing, formatting and citation, grammar and punctuation, and research strategies. We welcome the brainstormer, the procrastinator, the perfectionist, the disorganized, the perplexed, and you.
Writing Consultants Can Help You:
- Overcome writer's block
- Brainstorm and find a topic
- Understand audience & purpose
- Develop a thesis
- Incorporate sources effectively
- Revise for coherence & organization
- Edit for clarity & conciseness
- Use MLA, APA, and Chicago formats
- Understand grammar, punctuation, and usage
- Develop revision strategies
Mission & Policies
The University Writing Center seeks to help writers help themselves. Since its official opening in 1975, the Writing Center (previously known as The Writing Lab and The Writing & Reading Resource Center), has been committed to supporting students, faculty, and the teaching of writing.
In order to achieve our mission and to clarify the Writing Center's purpose, the Writing Center has adopted the following policies:
Purpose & Usage
- We aim to help students improve as writers, not to edit or proofread papers. We see ourselves as teachers who transfer skills and provide resources, and as readers who offer authentic response and feedback.
- We are delighted when faculty members encourage their students to use the Writing Center; however, we have found that consultations are most effective when students come willingly. Therefore, we request that faculty members do not require students to use the Writing Center or award extra credit for Writing Center use.
- We are not responsible for students' grades, and we prefer not to discuss grades that papers receive or question feedback from classroom professors. Although we consider ourselves writing experts, we cannot predict the grade that a paper will receive nor do we keep magic wands in our desk drawers.
Scheduling Appointments
- Students may schedule 1 appointment per day and 2 appointments every 7 calendar days.
- Students may schedule appointments up to 2 weeks in advance.
- Students can reschedule or cancel their appointments up to one hour before the start time via the online scheduler control panel. Within one hour of the appointment, students with urgent needs to cancel or reschedule should call 568-1759 for assistance. Calling near or at the appointed time without a valid excuse is not acceptable (see "Missed Appointments" below).
- Beyond 2 weekly writing consultations, students are welcome to use the Writing Center's study space and computer lab as often as needed.
Missed Appointments
- Students who miss two scheduled appointments will be unable to make reservations for the remainder of the semester. If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you can do so up to one hour in advance via the Control Panel of our online scheduler, or, in case of an urgent situation, call 568-1759.
- Arriving ten minutes late for a scheduled appointment will count as a missed appointment.
- Students who lose scheduling privilges may still use the Writing Center on a walk-in basis, though we cannot guarentee that a tutor will be available.
Group Appointments
- For group projects, please call 568-1759 to schedule an appointment in one of our conference rooms. Students should arrange a time when all writers working on the project can come for the appointment.
Thesis Papers and Graduate Projects
- Students working on thesis/honors projects may schedule 10 sessions per semester, with the option of scheduling 2-hour consultation blocks.
- Students working on such projects may contact the Writing Center to schedule appointments over 2 weeks in advance.
Want to know more about the University Writing Center?
Check out the following links:
How to Get the Most out of a Writing Consultation
